Lynda Hill's Sabian Symbols

The Banging Drum - What Is The Message? May's Scorpio Full Moon

If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away. Henry David Thoreau

We should face reality and our past mistakes in an honest, adult way. Boasting of glory does not make glory, and singing in the dark does not dispel fear. King Hussein

Love is not a victory march. Leonard Cohen

The intellectual man requires a fine bait; the sots are easily amused. But everybody is drugged with his own frenzy, and the pageant marches at all hours, with music and banner and badge. Ralph Waldo Emerson

Once vigorous measures appear to be the only means left of bringing the Americans to a due submission to the mother country, the colonies will submit. King George III

Military justice is to justice what military music is to music. Groucho Marx

Military intelligence is a contradiction in terms. Groucho Marx

May's Scorpio full Moon falls on Tuesday, May 17. It is a powerful full Moon and it has a surprising 'military' undertone, although that does not necessarily have to mean war and warfare and all that that theme brings up. The war, of course, can be within ourselves. This full Moon signals a move away from so much emphasis on Aries as several planets are now moving into Taurus. This suggests that the 'heat' may fade away and be replaced with more 'green' energy. Here's hoping. This full Moon signals Wesak - the celebration of the birth and life of the Buddha. 

The Sabian Symbol for the full Moon is Scorpio 27: A Military Band Marches Noisily Through The City Streets. The following is from my book The Sabian Oracle: 360 Degrees Of Wisdom:

Handling Baggage Vs. Redistributing The Weight: May's Taurus New Moon

Everyone thinks his own burden heavy. French Proverb

The burden which is well borne becomes light. Ovid

Do not free the camel of the burden of his hump; you may be freeing him from being a camel. Gilbert K. Chesterton

No one is useless in this world who lightens the burden of it to anyone else. Charles Dickens

Your body is the baggage you must carry through life. The more excess baggage, the shorter the trip. Arnold Glasow

RESPONSIBILITY, n. A detachable burden easily shifted to the shoulders of God, Fate, Fortune, Luck or one’s neighbor. Ambrose Bierce

Almost everybody walks around with a vast burden of imaginary limitations inside his head. While the burden remains, personal success is as difficult to achieve as the conquest of Everest with a sack of rocks tied to your back. J. H. Brennan

May's Taurus new Moon occurs on May 3 in Australia and May 2 in the United States. This new Moon has, again, a very strong Aries influence, with Uranus, the Black Moon Lilith, Venus, Mercury, Eris, Jupiter and Mars all in Aries.

The Sabian Symbol for the new Moon is Taurus 13: A Porter Carrying A Mountain Of Heavy Baggage. My commentary and keywords on this degree from my book The Sabian Oracle: 360 Degrees Of Wisdom -

A ‘Porter’, otherwise known as a baggage handler or bellboy, has a lot of work to do. He is performing a service for others and here he is seen having ‘a Mountain of Heavy Baggage’ to move or ‘Carry’. He needs to remain cheerful and not reveal how much this ‘Mountainous’ load is weighing him down; otherwise he may not get the approval of those he is 'Carrying' the load for. There would be no thanks and no “tips” if he were to complain, groan or grumble. ‘Porters’ do a lot of hard work but don’t often get much appreciation or attention. They are expected to just get on with the job, sometimes they become almost invisible. This Symbol can also be an expression of class-consciousness.

Keywords: Self-reliance. Owning other people’s ‘garbage’. Shouldering baggage or weight. Being weighed-down. Feeling responsible for everything. Bad backs and posture. Carrying others. Counseling people, taking on their emotions. Bad backs, shoulders, knees, etc. Strain and wear. Bearing the family guilt. luggage. Trolleys. Looking for tips.

The Caution: Being busy with other peoples’ problems. Unable to work for your own benefit. Carrying other peoples’ responsibilities. Being indispensable until the energy is all worn out. Not knowing when to say “no” to other’s demands. The burden of debts. Being useful but unimportant.

The Karmic Condition (the degree before) of this new Moon is Taurus 12: A Young Couple Walk Down Main-Street, Window Shopping. This can show people enjoying each other, cruising for a moment together and assessing their futures together. It can also show taking on too much debt, being taken by the desire for 'things'; to have a home, furniture, possessions, a position in society and a future brimming with possibilities. It can also show situations of people alone, not having a partner in life, observing others enjoying their lives and planning together. There can be partnership or loneliness in this degree and sometimes there's both at the same time; people in relationships and yet feeling very lonely. 'Window Shopping' here can show people wondering when happiness will come to them - when the bounty of life will turn their way, when the world will provide them with the things that most people want in life; a happy and healthy relationship, somewhere safe and secure to live and having the things in life that they desire. This degree can also show issues of who's earning the money, holds the purse strings, puts in all the effort, takes the risks or goes without so others may have. 

Sometimes, the desire for things leads to the 'Porter Carrying A Mountain Of Heavy Baggage' in one way or another.

Venus, the planetary ruler of this Taurean new Moon, shows the need to keep plugging away, making money and working at finding their place in society. The Symbol is Aries 15: An Indian Weaving A Blanket In The Light Of The Setting Sun. This speaks of working at making a living or weaving the story of one's life through your deeds. As the person is working "In The Light Of The Setting Sun", it can show concerns about work, earning enough money, getting the recognition they deserve and growing older and ensuring their future will be safe and secure.

Keywords: The fabric of one’s being. Traditional pastimes and skills. Weaving security and independence. Patience and gentle handcrafting. Stories, especially those handed down. Tales and traditions. Consideration of one’s unique history. Weaving, spinning looms. The warp and weft of life. One’s life story—past and present. Being focused on one’s tasks. Colours, Dyes. Threads.

The Caution: Underestimating skills of self-expression in comparison with intellectual skills. Allowing dull routines to overcome. Feeling one hasn’t got much to contribute. Inability to apply to routine and necessary tasks. Being too “full-time” about one’s work. Feeling insecure no matter what the situation. Selling off one’s integrity. Finding that it’s too late in the day to get anything done. Not knowing when to stop.

Close by Venus is Mercury at Aries 17: Two Prim Spinsters Sitting Together In Silence. This can show issues of people sharing their thoughts and emotions, or not, and issues to do with youth and feeling vital. The 'Two Prim Spinsters' may have much to be grateful for with much to share and give to each other and the world, or, they may feel left out, isolated and alone - loveless in a world that values the young way more than it does the elders in society. This last sentiment is echoed in the degree of Venus on the "Indian Weaving The Blanket In The Light Of The Setting Sun".

Keywords: The need to loosen up emotional blockages. The struggle to hold onto one’s original identity. Compromise because of social expectations. Meditations that communicate. Exclusive relationships. Relationships that have a quiet “knowing”. Dignified silence. Inner withdrawal. Communicating through body language.

The Caution: Emotional isolation. Refusing to accept relationship. Pretending to be someone that one is not. Disapproval of younger, more vital energies. Being fussy and judgmental. Chattering that is not conducive to growth or true relating. Gossip. Difficulty in communicating. Being shutoff, or shutdown. The loss of joy and spontaneity.

What often needs to happen with this "Spinsters" degree around is for people to open up, communicate and feel that they can share what's going on in their lives. It may be that there's a few select friends or family members that you can do this with. It may be that you need to be there for others, to have them open up to you. This new Moon seems to be saying that it's fine for you to do it, just remember your boundaries and what you, or others, really need to be carrying.

Jupiter and Eris (click here for info on Eris) are conjunct on Aries 23: A Woman In Pastel Colors Carrying A Heavy And Valuable But Veiled Load. This speaks of keeping a happy attitude even in the midst of sadness, confusion, doubt, fear, and, again, as with the Symbol for the new Moon - "The Porter" - having to carry the load or shoulder burdens or responsibilities. 

Keywords: Privacy. Quiet determination to get on with the job. Mild manners. Carrying more than one’s share, gratefully or grudgingly. Shouldering problems. Bad backs. Victim status – poor me! Secret pregnancies. Doing overtime. Heavy loads. Smiling against the odds. Pastel colors. Codes of silence.

The Caution: Covering something up. Trying to conceal distrust. Keeping one’s thoughts and emotions locked-in creating ill health and disease. Fading into the background. Not being noticed or recognized. Feeling weighed down with shame, loss or humiliation. Wearing dark clothes. Dressing in order to cover up. Being the family scapegoat. Heavy karma.

Mars, which is very strong at the moment (being in Aries and ruling all the planets in Aries and conjuncting Jupiter) is on Aries 24: An Open Window And A Net Curtain Blowing Into The Shape Of A Cornucopia... this is a wonderful degree of opportunity and promise, but with Mars on this degree, there's the possibility of being angry or disappointed if things don't quite come together. This degree asks us to open our doors and windows and free the space of the cobwebs and stale air of the past in order for the 'Cornucopia' to blow in. 

Keywords: Imagination. Keeping your options open. The promise of fruition. The breath of life filled with inspiration. Realizing that in everyday life, one has it all. Windows of opportunity. Gain, abundance, riches. Spiritual energies pouring in. Concentrated energy. Seeing desires taking shape. Curtains and windows.The Caution: Relying on spiritual ideas to provide material sustenance. Dreaming of things dropping into one’s lap. Hoping that good luck will just ‘blow in’. Shutting windows, keeping light and life out. Drawing curtains and withdrawing. Promises, promises.

Thankfully, Mars is trining the karmic Moon's North Node which is at Sagittarius 24: A Bluebird, A Sign Of Good Luck And Happiness, Is Standing At The Door Of The House. 

Keywords: Calmness and rewards. Promise (or promises) of ‘Happiness’. Love and happiness available by acknowledging its presence. Real estate, house boundaries. Reminders of joy. Cottages and picket fences. Waiting for invitations to enter. Omens of good luck. Blessings. Front doors and back doors.

The Caution: Denying happiness or good news. Feeling that the grass is always greener somewhere else. Putting on false shows of happiness for all to see. Thinking that buying things will make one’s life happier. Wanting what’s not available.

As with the "Open Window" of Mar's placement, this is a wonderful omen of happiness, love, security and joy. 

Pluto has a message to back up the placement of Mars and the Node. The Sabian Symbol is Capricorn 8: Birds In The House Singing Happily. This speaks of being at one with everything, tunes sung or whistled, the promise of contentment, communal sharing and fun, music, instruments, chattering, birds singing, positive thinking. We need to not feel caged in or looking only at difficulties. Feelings of loneliness, being forgotten or forsaken can be banished by listening to music or listening to birds singing. 

Saturn, which can bring structure, form and discipline but also fear, loss and restriction, is on Libra 12: Miners Are Emerging From A Deep Coal Mine. This is a good placement for Saturn at the moment as it makes us think about things, to dredge those things that need dredging, to face our fears and to remember to come up for air when things are getting us down (or weighing us down). As Saturn is opposite both Venus and Mercury, we could be finding the need to reassess relationships, friendships, our values about ourselves and others and how we think and communicate with others. With Saturn on the "Coal Mining" degree, we can have realisations coming up from the depths and find those gems that may have been lying deep within us, just waiting for us to dis-cover them. 

(Without wanting to add to anybody's burdens, I feel driven to mention the movie Gasland. I watched it last night, but have seen a doco on gas "fracking" in Australia a few months ago. If you don't know about it, you may find it interesting to check out what's happening - it's an environmental nightmare. I apologise for bringing it up, but with Saturn on the "Coal Miners" degree, it's quite timely, I believe, that I do). 

Assessing Asserting Assuming and Aligning: April's Libra Full Moon

We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light. Plato

Confront the dark parts of yourself, and work to banish them with illumination and forgiveness. Your willingness to wrestle with your demons will cause your angels to sing. Use the pain as fuel, as a reminder of your strength. August Wilson

As soon as your consciousness is right, God is there. He is not hiding from you, you are hiding from Him. Paramahamsa Yogananda

In times like these, it helps to recall that there have ALWAYS been times like these. Paul Harvey

If there is no God, who pops up the next Kleenex? Art Hoppe

Make friends with the angels, who though invisible are always with you… Often invoke them, constantly praise them, and make good use of their help and assistance in all your temporal and spiritual affairs. Saint Francois de Sales

These sure are interesting times and many people are reporting that they're not particularly enjoying the very intense energies that have been around. Of course, as is natural in the scheme of things, some are doing fine, rowing their boat and getting on with their lives. However, they will most likely have quite a few people around them that are finding it difficult to find the direction, the vehicle, the impetus, the approval or the oars that they need. What a handful of energies we're confronted with with this full Moon in Libra. It's a major Aries event with Mars and Saturn facing off across the relationship axis of Libra and Aries. 

Occurring on April 17 in the United States and April 18 in Australia, this full Moon is another in a series of super moons. With so much happening these last several months (particularly this last month around the time of the very powerful Virgo full Moon), many are feeling spaced out, concerned with difficult situations, wondering what might happen next and generally feeling a little pushed to the edge. This is another very Aries lunation, with Uranus, the Black Moon Lilith, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter and the Sun all in Aries. Add to the mix the fact that Mars is on a 'bomb' degree and it's smack opposite Saturn, and this is another rather incendiary lunar event. 

Knowledge, Passion, Temptation and Forbidden Fruit: The Aries New Moon

Religion has done love a great service by making it a sin. Anatole France

It was from the rind of one apple tasted that the knowledge of good and evil as two twins cleaving together leaped forth into the world. John Milton

This desire to govern a woman–it lies very deep, and men and women must fight it together before they shall enter the garden. E. M. Forster

Forbidden fruit is sweet. Traditional Proverb

Adam was human; he didn’t want the apple for the apple’s sake; he wanted it because it was forbidden. Mark Twain

Adam and Eve had many advantages, but the principal one was that they escaped teething. Mark Twain

There are several good protections against temptation, but the most popular is cowardice. Mark Twain

Do not bite at the bait of pleasure until you know that there is no hook. Thomas Jefferson

The Aries new Moon is quite an explosive, passionate and deeply intense one with some very interesting themes that can ignite, inspire and feed our impulses while, at the same time, teach us some interesting things about our selves and our lives and what it means to be human. Occurring on April 3 in the United States and April 4 in Australia, it's one heck of a doozy of an Aries new Moon with Mars, Lilith, Uranus, the Sun, the Moon, Jupiter and Mercury all in Aries. Many would see this combination of planets all lining up in Aries as explosive. Combining that together with the Sabian Symbols, I would go a step further and call it incendiary. 

The Sabian Symbol for the new Moon is Aries 14: A Serpent Coiling Near A Man And A Woman. This symbolizes the story of the “temptation” of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. The ‘Serpent’ offered Adam and Eve the gift of self-knowledge. However, this “knowledge” also revealed to them that they were naked and that this was sinful. The ‘Serpent’ was said to have brought them both knowledge and guilt. The “snake” can be symbolic of anything that induces fear or negativity into a situation. On the other hand, what the “snake” symbolizes can bring a healing and a profound sense of, or need for, self-knowledge. This Symbol can show the celebration of the physical body and the enjoyment of another through all of the senses.

Secret Knowledge From An Ancient Scroll: March's Virgo Full Moon

On leaf of palm, on sedge-wrought roll; on plastic clay and leathern scroll, man wrote his thoughts; the ages passed, and lo! The Press was found at last! John Greenleaf Whittier

History is the unrolled scroll of prophecy. James A. Garfield

To furnish the means of acquiring knowledge is . . . the greatest benefit that can be conferred upon mankind. It prolongs life itself and enlarges the sphere of existence. John Quincy Adams

All men by nature desire knowledge. Aristotle

All human knowledge takes the form of interpretation. Walter Benjamin

Through zeal knowledge is gotten, through lack of zeal knowledge is lost. Buddha

Memory is the scribe of the soul. Aristotle

Ten thousand years will give you such a crick in the neck. From the movie Aladdin

There is nothing new except that which has become antiquated. Lycee Rose Bertin

The full Moon in March occurs on March 19 in the United States and March 20 in Australia. This is a powerhouse full Moon, aligning as it does with Uranus just as it goes into Aries. The Sabian Symbol for the full Moon is Virgo 29: A Man Is Gaining Secret Knowledge From An Ancient Scroll He Is Reading.

A Lady Wrapped In Fox Fur: The Piscean New Moon

Beauty: That power by which a woman charms a lover and terrifies a husband. Ambrose Bierce

Plain women know more about men than beautiful women do. Katharine Hepburn

Instinct is untaught ability. Alexander Bain

Girls have an unfair advantage over men: if they can’t get what they want by being smart, they can get it by being dumb. Yul Brynner

Money is better than poverty, if only for financial reasons. Woody Allen

There is nothing so agonizing to the fine skin of vanity as the application of a rough truth. Edward G. Bulwer-Lytton

In our society those who are in reality superior in intelligence can be accepted by their fellows only if they pretend they are not. Marya Mannes

The common practice of keeping up appearances with society is a mere selfish struggle of the vain with the vain. John Ruskin

For me, elegance is not to pass unnoticed but to get to the very soul of what one is. Christian Lacroix

March's new Moon is on March 4 in the United States and March 5 in Australia. The Sabian Symbol is Pisces 14: A Woman Wrapped In Fox Fur. The following is from my book The Sabian Oracle: 360 Degrees of Wisdom -

What Needs To Be Said? The Unsealed Letter: February's Leo Full Moon

Please excuse the length of this letter; I do not have time to be brief. Anon

Better than a thousand useless words is one single word that gives peace. Better than a thousand useless verses is one single verse that gives peace. Better than a hundred useless poems is one single poem that gives peace. The Dhammapada

Afraid lest he be caught up in a net of words, tripped up, bewildered and so defeated—thrown aside—a man hesitates to write down his innermost convictions. William Carlos Williams

It is wise to disclose what cannot be concealed. Johann Friedrich Von Schiller

A writer is dear and necessary for us only in the measure of which he reveals to us the inner workings of his very soul. Count LeoTolstoy

Never write a letter while you are angry. Chinese Proverb

A secret is like a dove: when it leaves my hand it takes wing. Arabian Proverb

February's Leo full Moon falls on February 18. The Sabian Symbol is Leo 30: An Unsealed Letter Has Vital And Confidential Information. 

Focused Energy Or Tunnel Vision: February's Aquarius New Moon

The only way round is through. Robert Frost

No steam or gas ever drives anything until it is confined. No Niagara is ever turned into light and power until it is tunneled. No life ever grows until it is focused, dedicated, disciplined. Harry Emerson Fosdick

Due to the current economic climate, the light at the end of the tunnel will be turned off until further notice. Anon

If we see light at the end of the tunnel it is the light of an oncoming train. Robert Lowell

If you board the wrong train, it is no use running along the corridor in the other direction. Dietrich Bonhoeffer

RAILROAD, n. The chief of many mechanical devices enabling us to get away from where we are to where we are no better off. Ambrose Bierce

February's new Moon falls on February 2 in the United States and February 3 in Australia. The Sabian Symbol is Aquarius 14: A Train Entering A Tunnel. The following is from my book The Sabian Oracle: 360 Degrees Of Wisdom:

Secrets, Decisions, Resolutions and Revolutions: January's Cancer Full Moon

Seek not to change the world, but choose to change your mind about the world. A Course in Miracles

It is easy to take liberty for granted when you have never had it taken from you. M. Grundler

The greatest glory of a freeborn people is to transmit that freedom to their children. William Harvard

You people are telling me what you think I want to know. I want to know what is actually happening. Creighton Abrams

Equal opportunity is good, but special privilege is better. Anna Chennault

A meeting is an event where minutes are taken and hours wasted. Anon

Dear Mr. President, There are too many states nowadays. Please eliminate three. P.S. I am not a crackpot. Abraham Simpson

January's full Moon, occurring on January 19 in the United States and January 20 in Australia, is on the last degree of Cancer and it holds a rather strong charge around the idea of change, revolution and the need for discussions, often secret. It is interesting to note that the Sabian Symbol for the full Moon is quite a 'feminine' image and the Symbol for the Sun at the full Moon is quite a 'masculine' image. The Sabian Symbol for the full Moon is Cancer 30: A Daughter Of The American Revolution. 

Some News From Lynda

Some News From Lynda

As many of you know, my website was down for several days recently. On Christmas Eve, it sustained a "malicious and sustained attack" which caused the server and several other sites to go down. I had just spent weeks with a webmaster moving the site and it was freshly up when the attack happened. The reason it took so long to migrate it to another server was because I could not get the passwords I needed to access the back end of the site. This made the move costly as it involved an enormous amount of work to move all the files, most especially the Oracle. The site needed to be moved as I had not been able to update it or make any changes for over a year. 

As a result of the attack, in this last week I had to have the site moved again, this time to a dedicated server. (Many may remember I had problems with the site being down last Christmas.) There's now been some improvements to the site, and, time permitting, I will be adding some new features, updating the on line Oracle and writing new articles.

The Sabian Oracle has been on line, free, for the past 13 years. I'm sharing this with you because I need some help in keeping it going.

I know that times are difficult for many financially, but perhaps you can help. I like to soldier on and make it all happen under my own steam, but sometimes one just has to reach out! In order to raise some much needed funds, I have some ideas...

If you feel you've enjoyed or been helped by the Oracle and would like to make a donation, no matter how small, please use this link to the Donate page on my website - click here. Please note that the Australian dollar is about equal with the US and Canadian dollars. 

Perhaps you'd like to have a full astrology reading with a forecast for 2011 and a full explanation of your Sabian Symbols - click here for details. My readings are unique in style and content, so even if you've had astrology readings before, this will be quite different.

For a limited time, I'm offering email readings for a special price of $80. If you have a question you'd like me to answer, click here to purchase through the Donate page. Please email Lynda at sabiansymbols@gmail.com with your date, time and place of birth and your question.

Perhaps you'd like a copy of my book. The book is 400 pages of full interpretations of the Sabian Symbols and comes with a set of Oracle cards bound in the back. Please note that you do not have to be an astrologer to use this book, anyone can use it; it works very much like the tarot or the I Ching in that it answers your questions. However, if you are an astrologer or have some knowledge of astrology, the Sabian Symbols can provide amazing information and insights. This is also an ideal gift, so please consider a gift for yourself or for a friend! Click here for details about the book and how you can purchase it.

Also, if you have any stories you'd like to share about your experiences with the on line Oracle, my newsletters, my book or a reading you've had with me, please feel free to share. They would be most welcome! I will post some selected testimonials on my website.

Cheers and thanks for being there! 

Lynda
Greetings from DownUnder! 

Visit the on line Oracle at www.sabiansymbols.com

 

 

 

 

 

Remains Of The Past Vs Sculpting The Future: January's Capricorn Solar Eclipse

Write your injuries in dust, your benefits in marble. Benjamin Franklin

Either we make history or remain a victim of it. Anon

History is the unrolled scroll of prophecy. James A. Garfield

Memories are like stones, time and distance erode them like acid. Ugo Betti

Human history becomes more and more a race between education and catastrophe. H.G. Wells

It is not worthwhile to try to keep history from repeating itself, for man's character will always make the preventing of the repetitions impossible. Mark Twain 

January's new Moon is a partial solar eclipse. A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun, thereby totally or partially obscuring Earth's view of the Sun. A partial solar eclipse occurs in the polar regions of the Earth when the center of the moon's shadow misses the earth. 

Occurring on January 4, the partial eclipse will be visible near sunrise over most of Europe and northeastern Asia. It will end at sunset over Western Asia. It will be visible as a minor partial eclipse over Northern Africa and the Arabian peninsula. Greatest eclipse occurs at 08:50 UT in northern Sweden where the eclipse in the horizon will have a magnitude of 0.858. At that time, the axis of the Moon's shadow will pass a mere 510 km above Earth's surface (from Wikipedia's page on this eclipse - click here).

The Sabian Symbol for this (new Moon) solar eclipse is Capricorn 14: An Ancient Bas-Relief Carved In Granite Remains A Witness To A Long-Forgotten Culture. 

My interpretation from my book The Sabian Oracle: 360 Degrees Of Wisdom:

Beauty, Reflection And Blessings: December's Lunar Eclipse

A single conversation with a wise man is better than ten years of study. Chinese Proverb

You can take no credit for beauty at sixteen. But if you are beautiful at sixty, it will be your own doing. Marie Carmichael Stopes

You must look into people, as well as at them. Lord Chesterfield

What I’m looking for is a blessing that’s not in disguise. Kitty O’Neill Collins

It is one of the blessings of old friends that you can afford to be stupid with them. Ralph Waldo Emerson

You must pay the price if you wish to secure the blessing. Andrew Jackson

I would have made a good pope. Richard Nixon

To err is human, to forgive, divine. Alexander Pope

See everything, overlook a great deal, correct a little. Pope John XXIII

I'm tired of all this nonsense about beauty only being skin-deep. That's deep enough. What do you want - an adorable pancreas? Jean Kerr

December's full Moon is powerful total lunar eclipse. Falling on December 21st, it is on a powerful point on the calendar; just some twelve hours before the summer solstice in the southern hemisphere and the winter solstice in the northern hemisphere.

Colluding Or Colliding: The Current Line-Up Of Mars, Pluto, Mercury and the Moon's Nodes

He who rocks the boat seldom has time to row it. Bryan Munro

No man can paddle two canoes at the same time. Bantu Proverb

Like watermen that row one way and look another. Robert Burton

We may have all come on different ships, but we're in the same boat now. Martin Luther King, Jr

The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown. H.P. Lovecraft

I am hearing many comment that they're having a particularly difficult time at the moment, or, their friends are experiencing difficulties and restrictions that are troubling them. It's certainly not an easy time. I imagine that, as with all times, it's a very meaningful one.

Smack on Christmas, it's not an easy time to have Mercury retrograde. Add to that the fact that it went retrograde (I often call it 'wretchrograde') smack on Pluto, Mars and the Moon's North Node (a karmic point of destiny), and we have a potent stew of ambitions, anger, aggression, desires, frustrations, disappointments and passions, etc. Life is certainly not easy for many, and this line up is bound to be pushing some buttons. In Capricorn, the tension is made more manifest as Capricorn tries to contain the energies and doesn't naturally let them out where they can be more easily dealt with. Especially with Mars, Capricorn likes to rein the energy in so it can be more controlled and controllable. With this potent line up of planets, it can be stressful just keeping up with what needs to be done, let alone all the things you may want to be doing.

As I write this, Mars is on Capricorn 6: Ten Logs Lie Under An Archway Leading To Darker Woods. This can speak of a journey into the unknown (or the unknowable) and the need to let go of the past and the barriers and forge a new pathway forward. This can be difficult as there is often no clear sign of what's up ahead or what's available or where the destination actually is. This is the degree that Mercury went retrograde, so the next few weeks may be tinged by this scenario in some way. This doesn't mean you won't find your way, it's more that this is the theme and, perhaps, you'll find your compass on the journey.

With Venus moving very slowly through Scorpio (after being retrograde for forty days and forty nights recently), the energies are ramped up considerably as Venus can be quite intense, demanding and impatient with not being in charge, or, she can be upset about not having fun and passion in one's life. Scorpio wants to relate deeply. How are you going on that score? In the next few days, Venus is going over Scorpio 10: A Fellowship Supper Reunites Old Comrades and Scorpio 11: A Drowning Man is Being Rescued. Sharing a meal, a cup of coffee or catching up with mates (old and new) can be renewing and can be more important than you may at first think. 

Mercury and Pluto have been colluding this last week on Capricorn 5: Indians - Some Rowing A Canoe While Others Are Dancing A War Dance. Many are reporting that people are driving like maniacs, short tempered, impatient, and, in some cases, spoiling for a fight. This speaks about some getting on with their lives while others don't, vehicles of discovery versus arguing and bickering, cooperation bringing release from difficulty, mobilizing forces, psyching oneself up, group efforts. The people dancing the war dance could have a Titanic on their hands. Those rowing could end up in the river if too much attention is shown to those doing the war dance. Road rage anyone?

The trick now is to realize that everyone should row together. Mercury is heading backwards onto Capricorn 4: A Group of People Entering A Canoe For A Journey By Water. 

Everyone must row with the oars he has. Proverb

This degree has been highlighted for some months now with Pluto and the Moon's node sitting on it for some time. 

Keywords for this degree:

Cohesive effort, cooperation and coordination. People coming together with a shared goal in sight. Being continually on the move. Feeling like one’s on a ‘Journey’ of destiny. People all pulling together. Canoes. Boats. Vehicles of discovery. Setting off on an adventure. Entering the unknown. Workshops. Unknown destinations. Setting sail. Observing the weather. Yacht races.

The Caution: Uncoordinated energies. Not going along with anybody. Rocking the boat. The urge to get off midstream. Being bored with close company. A lack of privacy or quiet time. Back seat drivers. No one navigating. Lack of a realistic itinerary.

The question seems to be: where are you heading? What is your desired destination? What are your goals? Who's paddling with you? Are you alone on your journey or with others who have the same goals in sight?

This weekend, the Sun is on Sagittarius 27: A Sculptor's Vision Is Taking Form and Sagittarius 28: A Splendidly Built Bridge. These are the degrees of the Galactic Center and this is an opportunity to tune into the energies of the Sun and to make a wish list, affirmations and decisions about what your visions is and how you are going to make a bridge towards it. 

This is always a rather emotionally charged time of year, but with these energies swirling around and upcoming total lunar eclipse smack on the Equinox (more on that in the next newsletter), many are navigating much more intense, powerful and difficult straits than most years. 

The message at the moment seems to be to join in with others on your journey where it's going to work for you and to let go of those who might just be into rocking the boat. This is probably easier said than done. What is your desired destination and who is on the journey with you?

If you're wanting to buy my book (which makes a great Christmas present for yourself, friends or family!), please think about ordering it before Christmas. I will personally sign the book for you. After Christmas, I will be directing orders to Palmer Higgs, the people distributing the book and will not be sending them out myself. 

I have had problems with my website and have not been able to build a special order page for the book. However, you can still pay for the book through the Donate page on my website.

The book costs $40. Postage is an extra $12 within Australia ($20 for two or more books)

For orders from the United States it's an extra $39 (the US Postal Service has tacked on a $9 security screen charge on packages).

For the rest of the world, it's $30. 

Please note that payments are in Australian dollars which are worth the same as US and Canadian dollars.

If you need help navigating this or don't use Paypal, please let me know. Folks in Australia can make a direct deposit to my bank account. Email me at sabiansymbols@gmail.com for details.

People are loving this book and cards set! 

For a limited time only, Lynda Hill will be joined by Jessica Adams (2020 Vision, Essential Astrology for Women, Cosmopolitan, The Australian Women's Weekly), Adam Smith (Saturn - Fatal Attraction, The Sun-Herald, The Sunday Age) and Julian Venables (New Woman Diary, BBC Radio) for a unique Astrology Pop-Up Shop in January. If you would like a half-hour telephone reading for the year ahead, 2011, and a detailed written report about your year, please add your name to the waiting list by emailing sabiansymbols@gmail.com to receive further details.

To subscribe or unsubscribe to this newsletter, please send an email to sabiansymbols@gmail.com Check out Lynda's online Sabian Oracle at www.sabiansymbols.com and her blog at www.sabiansymbols.typepad.com Consider having a reading with Lynda - it's unlike any reading you'll get anywhere else! Click here for details.  

Pop-Up Astrology Shop

The Pop-Up Astrology Shop with Lynda Hill, Jessica Adams, Adam Smith and Julian Venables

For a limited time only, Lynda Hill (The Sabian Oracle: 360 Degrees Of Wisdom, Take 5 Magazine) will be joined by Jessica Adams (2020 Vision, Essential Astrology for Women, Cosmopolitan, The Australian Women's Weekly), Adam Smith (Saturn - Fatal Attraction, The Sun-Herald, The Sunday Age) and Julian Venables (New Woman Diary, BBC Radio) for a unique Astrology Pop-Up Shop in January. If you would like a half-hour telephone reading for the year ahead, 2011, and a detailed written report about your year, please email sabiansymbols@gmail.com to add your name to the waiting list and receive further details. 

The Pyramids And The Sphinx: December's Sagittarius New Moon

History, although sometimes made up of the few acts of the great, is more often shaped by the many acts of the small. Mark Twain

History is the version of past events that people have decided to agree upon. Napoleon

When Moses was alive, the pyramids were a thousand years old . . . Here people learned to measure time by a calendar, to plot the stars by astronomy . . . Here they developed that most awesome of all ideas—the idea of eternity. Walter Cronkite

All we know is still infinitely less than all that remains unknown. William Harvey

Order and simplification are the first steps toward the mastery of a subject. Thomas Mann

The hallmark of our age is the tension between aspirations and sluggish institutions. John W. Gardner

Nobody even knows what a “henge” is. Eddie Izzard—on Stonehenge

December's Sagittarius new Moon falls on December 5 in the United States and December 6 in Australia. The Sabian Symbol for the new Moon is Sagittarius 14: A Vast Panorama Of Sand And Time Is Unfolding: The Pyramids And Sphinx In Their Glory Rise Before The Eye. This is a deep and complicated degree (as are most degrees!), and it infers things all the way from building edifices of spiritual practice all the way up to multi-level marketing, big business, exploitation of labor and people's time, energy and resources. The following is from my book The Sabian Oracle: 360 Degrees Of Wisdom - 

Commentary: The ‘Pyramids and Sphinx’ are a picture of grandeur and history. They stand as testimonials to days long gone. The Pyramids were built some 4,500 years ago, but probably not, as many believe, by slaves. Evidence suggests that social organization built the ‘Pyramids’. The ‘Pyramids’ at Giza were the foundation of the first nation state and the beginning of modern civilization. To participate in the building of the king’s ‘Pyramid’ was an honor that was sought by families right across Egypt. People, goods and livestock came from all corners of the country. The workers were respected, educated and healed if they were injured. This Symbol can speak of any large edifice, especially those that seem to hold some mystery as to how or why they were built. Ancient history is full of such human and spiritual wonders: Stonehenge, the great stone walls of Macchu Picchu and the Great Wall of China. They provide intriguing puzzles into the human mind and just how vast human accomplishment can be.

Oracle: There may be a feeling of the need to establish some type of monument. It can be something that makes a huge impression, something that won’t easily be forgotten. Organization of people and labor towards a common goal on any scale can lead to great accomplishments. You may need an architect or a tour guide, and inner wisdom, as this will guide you. The resources that are available can bring re-evaluations to current dilemmas. However, slave labor has very few real rewards. Be wary of merely being used for someone’s grand agendas. Further, matters could have a lack of clarity about them. Is something in this situation so big or so difficult, it can hardly be approached? Is it really becoming outworn or outlived? Are you seeing the huge gulfs between the haves and the have nots?

Keywords: Ancient histories and mysteries. The power of the past affecting today’s world. Spiritual ancestry. Mysteries that enrich. Decoding. Magicians and prophets. Secret messages or tricks of perception? Majestic properties. Riddles. Ingenuity. Plans and the executing of them. Egyptian things. Levels of power. Pyramid marketing. Taxes. The rich versus the poor. The American monetary system. World finances. The World Trade Centre. Masonic mysteries. Cement, sand, plaster. Tools. Architects. Builders. Corruption.

The Caution: Treasures robbed by the greedy. Monuments that belittle other, lesser achievements. Aloofness through perceived superiority. Proclaiming treasures from the past more worthy, or grander, than present perceptions allow. Slave labor. Anonymity of the masses.

The Karmic Condition (the degree before) this new Moon is Sagittarius 12: A Flag Turns Into An Eagle; The Eagle Into A Chanticleer Saluting The Dawn. This speaks of declared idealism, trumpeting ideals, national pride, peak experiences, flags, symbols of strength, unity and power, truths, big political displays, issues of nationhood, issues of world domination, elevated views and perspectives, forceful voices, nobility and pride, successful outcomes, national anthems, new empires, messages from the president.

It's interesting to note that these two degrees together reflect the current issues of the leak of government papers and secrets with their recent publication on Wikileaks.org. The Pyramid degree often talks about big business or government and issues to do with control and domination. 

The Quest Degree (the degree after) this new Moon is Sagittarius 15: The Ground Hog Looking For Its Shadow On Ground Hog Day. Many will feel drawn to look at their lives to see what effect they are having on the world, and, what effect the world is having on them. The Ground Hog degree often brings up ever repeating cycles of activity and the need to look forward, not back. Looking back can bring up 'negative weather', pushing us until a colder, frostier place. Looking forward heralds the arrival of spring (or renewal). 

A question that might arise now is what are you working towards? What are your aims? Where is your passion? Are you building something of worth for yourself or are you working hard so others get the rewards?

Jupiter, the ruler of this new Moon, has been for some time on the getting along with others and issues of living together degree - Pisces 24: An Inhabited Island. Moments after the new Moon, it moves onto Pisces 25: The Purging Of The Priesthood. This speaks of revealing people for who they truly are, cutting people off, throwing out things that don't measure up, retirement and redundancies, dismissals, opting out for moral reasons, holes left where someone took up a lot of space. There can be a battle over who's in charge, something revealed, scapegoating others, corruption and scandal that threaten collapse, cover ups, the burning of books, perversion.

Issues of people falling from grace, losing their position or stepping over the boundaries of decent behavior may be around. Perhaps you're deciding to leave behind people in your life that don't live up to your ideals or your vision of the future. 

Venus is on Scorpio 3: Neighbors Help In A House Raising Party In A Small Village. This is community or family cooperation, real estate deals, community concerns, renting apartments and homes, neighbors, parties, having to consider the needs of people, making a village, communal governance or being blocked by rules, laws and regulations of bureaucracy, homeless shelters, tools, building expertise, helping hands. (This is Hilary Clinton's Sun degree and she wrote a book titled It Takes A Village.)

Mars is on Sagittarius 29: A Fat Boy Mowing The Lawn. This speaks about looking after appearances, cleaning up your house and yard, doing chores because they should be done. Have a squeaky clean vs a messed up life, not dealing with the reality of life, things looking respectable, issues to do with weight, lawn mowing and tidying, doing odd jobs, signs of affluence, laborers, hired hands, issues to do with children pitching in and helping. 

Between the House Raising Party and the Boy Mowing The Lawn, we have issues to do with cleaning up our acts, our domestic situations. Perhaps we're preparing for the festive season by getting our house in order.

Saturn is on Libra 15: Circular Paths. This is an interesting degree and dovetails with the Quest Symbol of the Sun - Ground Hog Day. Where are you going around and around in circles? What patterns do you repeat? What can you drop? What have you learned?

Life seems set to be meaningful, deep and interesting, especially as Mercury and Pluto are conjunct on the same degree. This conjunction can dredge up deep passions, anger, answers, problems, memories, and, possibly, things said out loud that should perhaps have been more considered.

Mercury and Pluto are on Capricorn 5: Indians - Some Rowing A Canoe While Others Are Dancing A War Dance. This speaks of some getting on with their lives while others do not, vehicles of discovery versus arguing and bickering, threats and intimidation, making a show of power and mobility, mobilizing forces, psyching oneself up, group efforts, traffic. 

Mars, Mercury, Pluto and the north Node are all lining up to bring something to a head in the weeks following the new Moon. This is a very meaningful time. I hope I'm wrong, but I can hear war cries on the horizon. Perhaps it's more an internal war that we're dealing with. Whatever is going on, the karmic Moon's North Node is asking us to manifest ourselves, our talents, our dreams and visions. The Node is on Capricorn 3: The Human Soul, In Its Eagerness For New Experiences, Seeks Embodiment. This is a time for being true to yourself, giving birth to yourself yet again. 

Peacocks Parading On The Terrace: The Taurus Full Moon - And Venus And Jupiter Go Direct

He enjoys true leisure who has time to improve his soul's estate. Henry David Thoreau

The sparrow is sorry for the peacock at the burden of his tail. Rabindranath Tagore

It is neither wealth nor splendor, but tranquility and occupation that give happiness. Thomas Jefferson

The house of every one is to him as his castle and fortress. Edward Coke

A rich man is nothing but a poor man with money. W. C. Fields

It is not only fine feathers that make fine birds. Aesop

A peacock who sits on his tail is just another turkey. Proverb

A peacock has too little in its head, too much in its tail. Swedish proverb

Fancy and fantasy rule the mind of man. You desire one thing in the morning; at noon you change over to something else. That desire will not persist until evening. If your desire is fulfilled, you praise God and parade your devotion. But if it does not prevail, you throw God overboard and parade your disbelief! Sri Sathya Sai Baba

November's Taurus full Moon falls smack on the last degree of Taurus on 21st November in the United States and the 22nd of November in Australia. The Sabian Symbol is Taurus 30: A Peacock Parading On The Terrace Of An Old Castle. The following is from my book The Sabian Oracle: 360 Degrees Of Wisdom:

Lynda's Sabian Oracle Book Now Available

See below for instructions of how to order.

An oracle is described in Webster's Dictionary as being 'a divine announcement' and 'the medium by which a god reveals hidden knowledge or makes known the divine purpose'.

Further, it is said to be 'an authoritative or wise statement or prediction'. In essence an oracle is a tool that allows a conversation with divine forces...

My new book, The Sabian Oracle: 360 Degrees Of Wisdom (with the Sabian Oracle Cards), is now available! This is a special self published version - supplies are limited, so get your copy soon to avoid disappointment! 

Many have the previous edition of my book, The Sabian Symbols As An Oracle. This new edition is the result of two rewrites of the book and is the same as the book published by Penguin NY under the title: 360 Degrees of Wisdom: Charting Your Destiny With The Sabian Oracle. 

Oracles have been 'read' from an incredible array of objects including stones, bones, tea-leaves, coins, sticks, the backs of tortoise shells and cards. The word "oracle" comes from the Latin word meaning "to pray". It is also connected to the word for mouth.

Oracles give us signposts and maps so that we can make better, more informed choices in life. In truth, we have the answers to the questions we ask inside of us; however we often need the answers to come through a vehicle outside of ourselves. Grounded in the Zodiac (the aura of the earth) the Sabian Oracle gives us a direct route into issues that reflect our modern era.

Based on the Sabian Symbols, first created in 1925, and consisting of 360 answers, the Sabian Oracle can be used to guide us through questions about our day-to-day lives: work, relationships, health, spirituality etc. Using the Sabian Oracle will help you discover what's going on and why, leading to deeper self-awareness. You are able to make more informed choices and greatly enhance your life. It provides us with a psychic and spiritual tool for deep guidance, insight and the ability to see into the amazing occurrences and synchronicities that occur to us and happen around us. You can ask questions about what your future holds, how to go about doing something, what you need to know about a situation or the people involved, directions on your spiritual path or you can use it to get a message for the day. They lead us out of the wilderness into a place of greater self-determination, fulfillment and enjoyment. Using them also widens and enlarges our psychic abilities and awareness and increases our attunement with our intuitive depths.

Using the book to track the progress of the Sun, the Moon or any planet or point can be incredibly enlightening to show what's unfolding in the world around and inside us. You can also learn extraordinary insights about the planets and points in your chart. It doesn't matter why you refer to a particular degree, meaning will be found there. 

Mary from Gnostic Forest Book Shop; We have been selling the Sabian Symbols Oracle for over 10 years now, and the accuracy is amazing, with such precise definitions the seeker is able to get very specific advice. Often the spooky accuracy encourages the client to have a full reading. I personally find that the Sabian Symbols speak the clearest and the loudest when there is a big issue on the wind. If life is cruising, the message can be more subtle and cryptic. Thank you Lynda for sharing this beautiful oracle with us.

Marnie Firmin; I have loved your readings and always pass them onto friends.  I thought I would write and say how much your book has shaped my life and the lives of others. But the Sabians have done so much for me, in so many ways like a wise counsellor where you can get proper advice from the world of spirit.  Whereas the workings of the mind can become so transfixed with problem solving that they eclipse the more powerful forms of transpersonal intervention which goes beyond limits to cognition.  Anyway Lynda, i will have to get another book of yours as mine is falling apart to overuse, it is a steady companion in difficult times as well as a lovely daily meditation. Many blessings from the heart 

The Sabian Oracle: 360 Degrees Of Wisdom is available now for orders. Books (which come with a set of Oracle cards) are $40 each.

Postage to the United States and the rest of the world from Australia is $30

within Australia - $12. 

If you purchase the book before Venus goes direct - November 18 - I will throw in the entire book on CD in Pdf! Plus, I will sign the book personally for you. Just let me know if you have any special instructions. 

With the Pdf, there's an automatic Wizard Symbol generator that throws up an entire page in answer to a question. You can also search the CD. You can print out pages for clients or yourself. Performing circle work is fantastic with the Symbols - they are great for astrodrama.

Something fun is to print out the entire book and print your contact details on the reverse of each page. You can then fold up each of the pages individually and put them in a 'lucky dip' box. People are astounded as they read through the page. 

Here's an example of Aries 1: A Woman Has Risen Out Of The Ocean, A Seal Is Embracing Her. Jupiter and Uranus will soon be passing into Aries and will be illuminating this degree. It's a message for all of us... http://www.sabiansymbols.com/aries1.pdf and here are some testimonials for the book - http://www.sabiansymbols.com/page.asp?id=960

To secure your copy of the book and cards along with the Pdf of the book on CD, please go to http://www.sabiansymbols.com/donate.asp and pay the amount which will be $52 for Australia and $70 for the rest of the world. Please note that you'll be paying in Australian dollars -which now has the same value as the US and Canadian dollars. 

If you want to order two or more copies or have any questions, please email me at sabiansymbols@gmail.com 

You will love the book and cards and they will give you many years of insight, amazement and answers.

Cheers from DownUnder!
Lynda   

Connections, Connections, Connections, Cooperation and Co-Existence: November's Scorpio New Moon

If the first person who answers the phone cannot answer your question it's a bureaucracy. If the first person can answer your question, it's a miracle.Gerald F. Lieberman

That's an amazing invention [the telephone], but who would ever want to use one of them? Rutherford B. Hayes (US president)

Well, if this is the wrong number, why did you answer it? James Thurber

I waited and waited and when no message came I knew it must have been from you. Steven Wright

Gossip is nature's telephone. Sholom Aleichem

I've suffered from all of the hang-ups known, and none is as bad as the telephone. Richard Armour

The noun CONNECTION has 9 senses:

1. a relation between things or events (as in the case of one causing the other or sharing features with it)
2. the state of being connected
3. an instrumentality that connects
4. (usually plural) a person who is influential and to whom you are connected in some way (as by family or friendship)
5. the process of bringing ideas or events together in memory or imagination
6. a connecting shape
7. a supplier (especially of narcotics)
8. shifting from one form of transportation to another
9. the act of bringing two things into contact (especially for communication)

from www.audioenglish.net

November's Scorpio new Moon, falling on November 6, is one of communications, connections, making new contacts and renewing contacts with people from the past. The Sabian Symbol is Scorpio 14: Telephone Linesmen At Work Installing New Connections. From my book The Sabian Oracle: 360 Degrees Of Wisdom:

Commentary: ‘Telephone Linemen at Work Installing New Connections’ shows people working and concentrating on laying the ‘Lines’ for ‘Connections’ so that people may communicate with each other easily and effectively. They are laying cables to allow for the smooth functioning of the ‘Telephone’ system. They have a clear understanding of how the equipment works and how necessary and valuable it is to enable people to link up with each other.

Oracle: This Symbol reflects an increase in the forms of communication that you can have access to, or that you have more communications coming to you. You may find that there has been a failure in communicating your thoughts, ideas or emotions lately. Something is being (or needs to be) done or laid down, in order to solve, repair or patch up the situation. There is nothing to be achieved by worrying about any recent “connection” failures, however something should be done to set about making or repairing the necessary ‘Lines’ of communication. Sometimes advice and help must be called on for all to be resolved. This may need to be expert advice, but it can also be gathered from your own common sense. This can symbolize expansion into areas like the Internet, faxes or business lines. It can also represent the spiritual connection to the “other side”, even channeling. Sometimes, however, in the ‘Installing of New Connections’ problems of crossed-lines occur. It’s important to listen for the real truth in the communications that are being made, not to all the faint chitchat that surrounds what’s being said. Networking and new lines of communications often open up after this Symbol is revealed.

Keywords: Acupuncture and other therapies that work on the body’s meridians. The nervous system. The Internet. Forming new lines of communication. New connections taking place. Linking people up. Making sure that messages get through. Mobile phones, faxes, email. Networks and networking. Switchboards. Satellites. Wires. The ability to reach far distances. Getting on other peoples’ wavelengths.

Contacts. Hooking up with the system. UFO experiences. Mobile phones.The Caution: Failing to see the necessity for repairs to personal communication. Becoming involved in other people’s lives. Gossip. News, thoughts and ideas spreading rapidly and getting out of control. Constant chatting. Being fickle. Sabotage. Engaged signals.

This new Moon is a direct reflection of the current Venus retrograde. Click here to read about what's going on through the agency of Venus. Venus went retrograde on this degree, bringing up the need for installing new connections and renewing old ones. 

The message from Venus is one of observing life, meeting up with folks from varying and different countries, cultures, beliefs and walks of life. People pop up from the past with Venus retrograde and Venus has moved backwards through Scorpio from Scorpio 14 - the Telephone Linesmen - to Scorpio 1: Tourists On A Sightseeing Bus. Some keywords and cautions for this degree -

Keywords: Observing life. Feeling disconnected from reality. UFO’s and aliens. Seeing how other people live. Watching from afar. Tourists, traveling, buses. Suitcases and luggage. Cameras, pictures, souvenirs. Tour guides. Timing and being on time. The untried and untrodden or the same old road. Getting lost in something for hours. Foreign territories. New ways of seeing.

The Caution: Feelings of naivety and gullibility. Feeling like an alien even in familiar surroundings. Making assumptions about others’ lives. Not fitting in. Expecting things without any personal expenditure or effort. Getting out of one’s depth. Having difficulty calling one’s own agenda. Separation anxiety. Inability to concentrate.

Do you perhaps feel like a spectator - even in your own life? Are you watching from the sidelines (from the bus) as life brings you so many things to observe, learn, integrate and digest? Are you truly participating?

Soon after the new Moon, Venus will slip back into Libra, further bringing up relationship issues. Venus' retrograde sojourn into Libra is likely to sort out many things that have been hanging in the wind. 

Meanwhile, Mars is on a wonderful degree, but it is Mars, so for some there may be a bit of longing, passion, angst or impatience around issues to do with love. Indeed, love may come knocking on your door. The Sabian Symbol is Sagittarius 7: Cupid Knocking At The Door Of A Human Heart. Keywords include:

Keywords: Respectful invitation of love. Seeing purity of motive. Fear of commitment. Fear of romance. A key or an arrow. Cupids and cherubs. Unlocking the heart. One-pointed, focused energy, which can become obsessive. Softening one’s boundaries. Cupid’s bow. The need to lighten up one’s approach to others.

The Caution: Waiting instead of taking the initiative. Rejecting love or emotion for fear of losing independence. Keeping up a strong, brave, severe face when one could be loosening up and enjoying another. Barriers and defenses around the heart. Seeing potential lovers in everyone. Being attracted to those you wouldn’t normally notice. Frigid responses.

Many people could find themselves in new territory, with Venus on the Tourist degree and Mercury on Scorpio 26: American Indians Making Camp In New Territory. What new territory have you found yourself in? What new territory are you aiming for? Are you moving on or settling in? My keywords for this Symbol:

Keywords: Settling in. Walk-ins. Having to learn the rules of being in a new environment. The need for freedom to live one’s life as one wants. Concerns with territory. Immigration. Migration across countries. Gathering things together for family and community needs. Tents. Shelter. Co-habitation. Revering and protecting the environment. Setting up camp. Going walkabout. Squatters. Respecting boundaries. Reservations.

The Caution: Moving into or invading other's territory. Putting up with things when one should move on. Feeling invaded. Kicking people out because they don’t fit in or don’t belong. Segregation on grounds of color, race or religion. Compromising other's living space. Arriving unannounced. Barging in. Attack and invasion.

Jupiter brings messages of having to live with others, or living by one's self, sharing your space versus having enough space for yourself. The Sabian Symbol is Pisces 24: The Tiny Island Seems Lost In The Broad Ocean, But It's Happy Inhabitants Have Created A World All Their Own. This degree can show people packed liked sardines together but it can also show how some don't want to cohabitate; preferring to live life as their own 'Island'. Jupiter can bring expansion but as it, too, is retrograde, it could be shining a light on the question of who you share your personal space with. (With all these degrees, perhaps it's time to take a holiday :) )

Going for one's objective seems to be the main aim. Pluto and the Moon's north node (both strong karmic points) are together on Capricorn 4: A Group Of People Entering A Canoe For A Journey By Water. The trick seems to be to pull together, get a cohesive effort and make things happen by heading in the same direction - or, choosing a direction that leaves others behind in order to find those friends, partners and compatriots that you more fully resonate with. 

David and Goliath stories seem to be around with the Moon's south node (a strong karmic point) on Cancer 4: A Cat Arguing With A Mouse. This degree brings up issues of standing up for one's self, questioning established power structures, looking out for one's best interests (and the need for it), power trips, unfair battles, aggressively taking advantage of people. There can be bickering with this degree and arguments that are time-wasting or useless. The message of the north node (rowing together) is the way forward...

These degrees all reflect an issue that's been investigated by the 4 Corners program in Australia. Aired on November 1 in Australia, 4 Corners revealed how telephone companies in Australia are ripping off customers everywhere with false deals and scams. It beggars belief how large scale and fraudulent these telephone companies are. I hope that Venus retrograde brings their enormously questionable tactics to light. Whole towns are being bankrupted by these telephone companies. Click here to view the program. 

 

Boundaries, Families, Duckponds & Broods: October's Aries Full Moon

Birds of a feather flock together. Proverb

Where can a person be better than in the bosom of their family? Marmontel Gretry

Always behave like a duck - keep calm and unruffled on the surface but paddle like the devil underneath. Jacob Braude

There are only two lasting bequests we can hope to give our children. One of these is roots, the other, wings. Hodding Carter

God stirs up our comfortable nests, and pushes us over the edge of them, and we are forced to use our wings to save ourselves from fatal falling. Read your trials in this light, and see if your wings are being developed. Hannah Whitall Smith

If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, you can be reasonably sure it is a duck. Adage

Occurring on October 23 in Australia and October 22 in the United States, October's full Moon is the second full Moon in a row in Aries. Last month's full Moon was on the first degree of Aries - this month's full Moon is on the last degree of Aries. 

The Sabian Symbol for this full Moon is Aries 30: A Duck Pond And Its Brood. The following is from my book The Sabian Oracle: 360 Degrees of Wisdom:

Commentary: ‘A Duck Pond and its Young Brood’ can indicate issues of belonging to a family, clan or tribe. The ‘Duck Pond’ is a place where a family can live, forage for food, gather life’s necessities and be safely together. The parents, or at least the mother ‘Duck’, needs to look after the ‘Brood’ to ensure that they are kept together, nourished and protected. Guidance and direction need to be given so the youngsters grow into mature and responsible adults.

Oracle: You may feel restricted and bound in by reality, but you probably also feel safe. Every day can hold some type of adventure, but it is always within limits. Family, friends and the environment around us often set these limits. The mother figure needs to be strong and vigilant to see that all is well with her ‘Young Brood’. She needs to take great care in directing them in life so that they grow and flourish both as a family and out there in the real world as individuals. Is this ‘Duck Pond’ inviting to others, or do some ‘Ducks’ scare off others who try to come near? Who belongs and who doesn’t? Who’s invited to visit for a while, but then expected to leave when their time is up? It’s quite natural to sometimes feel threatened when people who don’t “belong” call or barge in unannounced, but an accommodating ‘Duck Pond’ should be able to have differing types living in quiet safety together. Sometimes we need to remind ourselves of the comforting things around us and the people who really belong with us. Are you looking after those in your care?

Keywords: Nurturing family. Contentment. Realizing limitations. Reliability. The problems and joys in the responsibilities of having a brood to look after. Finding friends or family that enrich one’s life. Psychoanalysis. Family patterns and analysis. Family support. The family sphere. Feeling safe in one’s environs. Being the mother duck. Adoption and foster families. Communes and communities.

The Caution: Denying your own needs for others in the ‘Brood’. Narrow-minded attitudes. Not inviting others in. Feeling stuck. Not wanting to leave the nest, grow up or take risks in life. Feeling left out and alone. Smugness or exclusivity. All looking the same and no one standing out as individuals. Being lost in the crowd. Distrusting those that are “alien”. Borders erected to keep out “foreigners”.

Is your duck pond too small or is there enough room for all who want to come and share? Are you limiting your borders too much by feeling like you have to be responsible for everything and everybody? Do you perhaps feel like you're too young, ill equipped or unskilled to stretch your wings and fly away from the duckpond? Does it feel like home or somehow like a prison? Are you feeling hemmed in in some way?

The Karmic Condition (the degree before) the full Moon is Aries 29. This degree talks of being in tune with the planets, with music, with the sky, with one's self and hearing the messages that are coming out of every part of our lives. The Sabian Symbol is The Music Of The Spheres. The following are my keywords for this degree:

Voices bringing messages. Attuning to the messages inherent in astrology. Harmonies, chords, keys, octaves, tones. Things heard. Natural harmony of life. The beauty of the planets. The measurement of time. Circadian rhythms. Dancing to the wind. The humming of bees. Days of the week. The sound of water over rocks or crystals. The planets speaking through or to you. Sending love. The atomic clock. Harmonics. Musical ratios. Numbers. Numerology. Sound healing.

So, there will be messages here. Perhaps they're telling you to get more in touch with family, maybe it's time to reach outside of your usual confines for more compatriots to share your life with. You could be feeling rather restricted - perhaps like you're on a leash. Whatever it is, this full Moon can be one of figuring out who's in, or should be in, your "duck pond" and who isn't or shouldn't be. Further, you may want to expand your life - to push out the borders of your activities.

The Quest Symbol of the full Moon (the degree after) is Taurus 1: A Clear Mountain Stream Flows Steadily Downstream. This is a beautiful degree that speaks again of water. In this case, though, the water is flowing downstream - perhaps towards the ocean. This Symbol describes a journey, a free flowing energy, a need for following one's own path. Where is your path leading you. Is your stream going to merge with the river? Here, again, friends, partners and compatriots are found (or sought) in the quest. This Symbol speaks of choosing a course and not deviating from it. Having said that, there can be changes of plans, detours and reversals of some description as these lend to the experience. What matters is the purity and simplicity of the source.

The Sun is on Libra 30: Three Mounds Of Knowledge On A Philosopher's Head. This speaks of philosophy, wisdom that transcends book knowledge, having a knowledgeable demeanor, making wise decisions regardless of hard-line opinion, knowledge directed to intellectual or spiritual goals, wit, style, seeing potential in others... it can be analyzing things too much and a reliance on intellect or being a "know it all". 

Some twelve hours after the exact full Moon, the Sun moves into Scorpio. The Sabian Symbol is Scorpio 1: A Sightseeing Bus Filled With Tourists. This is quite a different image from the Duck Pond, but is quite similar to the Clear Mountain Stream. This degree can show us that it's time to get out into life, to mix it up, to have fun, enjoy different surroundings or to strike out on one's own. It can, however, show situations where one feels more like an observer, a spectator, rather than a participant in life. What are your souvenirs? Are you taking photographs of your journey? Are you exploring new territories or sticking closer to home?

Venus is still retrograde and it's on Scorpio 10: A Fellowship Supper That Reunites Old Comrades. This speaks of meeting with old friends and new, seeking those that you feel a sense of 'fellowship' with, breaking bread with those you care about and love, reunions and chance meetings. This degree can show meeting up with people that you feel you've had past lives with. There can be the feeling that you've known them before or know them so well. 

Dorothy Parker's quote comes to mind what with the Tourist Bus, the Clear Mountain Stream and the Fellowship Supper: We look like a road company of the Last Supper

and then...

With true friends... even water drunk together is sweet enough. Chinese proverb

Immediately after the full Moon, Venus goes back onto the previous degree. It's Scorpio 9: A Dentist Is Hard At Work. This speaks of fixing and repairing damage, drilling away at something, plugging up situations, therapists, treatments, attention to detail... perhaps being the one who always has to fix everything. Venus here is suggesting that repairs are needed for bad nourishment, wrongful thoughts, negative uses of energy or neglect from former times. How are you faring with Venus retrograde? Any people from your past popping up? Are you going over old ground? Do you need to? Are you fixing things as you go? Are you spending time with like minded others? How are your spending habits?

With Venus retrograde on the Fellowship Supper and the Dentist At Work, do you need to work on your diet - your body and your relationship with it?

Mars is on a rather Martian type of degree. It's at Scorpio 27: A Military Band Marches Noisily On Through The City Streets. This can be making music to rouse people, noisy announcements, talk of war, demanding attention, trumpeting achievements, peace rallies or war marches, precisions movements, drums and trumpets, spit and polish and generally being noisy. Talk of war, beating one's drum, banging on and on about something versus the need to rouse people to unity and cooperation and neighborly attitudes to one another.

The Quest Symbol (the degree after) of Mars is Scorpio 28, the Sabian Symbol of which is rather reminiscent of the Duck Pond. It's The King Of The Fairies Approaching His Domain. Where is your domain? Where is your base of activities? Do you feel like you're in charge of your world? Are you safe, comfortable and settled into your own space? Just as with the Duck Pond, who do you belong with and are you spending time with your rightful 'tribe'?

The Moon's north node (which is a karmic and destiny point) is exactly conjunct Vesta (the asteroid that keeps the home fires burning and is a symbol of the vestal virgins). This symbolizes a time for the feminine energy to come forward, to make a stand and claim or declare a sense of power for one's self. The Sabian Symbol is a rather challenging one: Capricorn 5: Indians - Some Rowing A Canoe While Others Are Dancing A War Dance. 

The Keywords for this degree include: Some getting on with their lives whilst others are not, vehicles of discovery versus arguing and bickering, threats and intimidation, making a show of power and mobility, cooperation bringing release from difficulties, mobilizing forces, psyching oneself up, group effort, traffic.

The Moon's south node (exactly opposite the north node and a strong karmic point) is on Cancer 5: At A Railroad Crossing, An Automobile Is Wrecked By A Train. This Symbol sounds far worse than it is. There is no need for car wrecks or accidents, it speaks about the difficulty that sometimes arises from pitting yourself against others who may have other ideas, getting in the way of others (or people getting in your way), people working at cross purposes from each other and the consequences of acting rashly, going too fast or slamming up against reality. 

Pluto is on Capricorn 4: A Group Of People Entering A Canoe For A Journey By Water - a wonderful juxtaposition to Capricorn 5 (the North Node and Vesta) where some Indians are 'Rowing While Others Are Dancing A War Dance' (considering that the Sabian Symbols were given birth completely randomly, it is astounding that these two are concurrent degree Symbols). With Pluto here, our power is to be found through cohesive effort, cooperation and coordination, people coming together with a shared goal in sight, feeling like one's on a 'Journey' of destiny, people pulling together, rowing in the same direction, vehicles of discovery, workshops, unknown destinations, setting sail, observing the weather, etc. 

The message from Mercury (Mercury is known to be the 'messenger of the gods') is coming from Scorpio 4: A Youth Holding A Lighted Candle In A Devotional Ritual Gains A Sense Of The Great 'Other World'. This speaks of affirming intention to the path, ceremonies that are pure and uncomplicated, the light of consciousness, feeling overwhelmed, enlightenment, potency, devotion to ritual, expansion of psychic talents, shining a light that brings understandings of things on a spiritual level.

It will surely help to light that candle, to affirm your boundaries, to realize your limits (or, more importantly, where you limit yourself) and to embrace those that truly belong in your Duck Pond. 

 

 

 

Paths, Labyrinths And Mazes - The Way Forward?: October's Libra New Moon

History is simply one damned thing after another. Winston Churchill

The air is full of our cries. But habit is a great deadener. Samuel Beckett

We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit. Aristotle

Search for meaning, eat, sleep. Search for meaning, eat, sleep. Die, search for meaning, search for meaning, search for meaning. Doug Horton

As people are walking all the time, in the same spot, a path appears. Lu Xun

Men have become the tool of their tools. Henry David Thoreau

Speaking of which, this newsletter is late as I had a computer failure halfway through writing it. Taking a week to repair, we thought it was the mother board, but it was the processor. The processor certainly reflects the Sabian Symbol for this new Moon: Circular Paths.

Something to bear in mind as you're reading this is that the new Moon has an influence over the coming month and things that happen in the course of the Moon can signify new beginnings that are reflected for some time to come. We process the energies, events and issues that come up and learn from them. I mention this because I've heard some say that they think the influence is only happening close to the new Moon. 

When in danger or in doubt, run in circles, scream and shout. Bumper sticker

Retracing Our Steps Again: Venus Rx - The Prescription? Install New Connections

If the first person who answers the phone cannot answer your question it's a bureaucracy. If the first person can answer your question, it's a miracle. Gerald F. Lieberman

That's an amazing invention [the telephone], but who would ever want to use one of them? Rutherford B. Hayes (US president)

Well, if this is the wrong number, why did you answer it? James Thurber

I waited and waited and when no message came I knew it must have been from you. Steven Wright

Gossip is nature's telephone. Sholom Aleichem

I've suffered from all of the hang-ups known, and none is as bad as the telephone. Richard Armour

Middle age is when you're sitting at home on Saturday night and the telephone rings and you hope it isn't for you. Ogden Nash

Throughout the ages, stories with certain basic themes have recurred over and over, in widely disparate cultures; emerging like the goddess Venus from the sea of our unconscious. Joan D. Vinge 

Venus favors the bold. Ovid

Happening only every 18 months or so, Venus is going retrograde on October 8 and is turning direct again on November 19. However, the actual entire retrograde phase started with Venus going into its shadow (the shadow is when a planet goes back over degrees it's previously gone over) on September 5 and Venus will clear this shadow on December 20 when she starts her journey again on fresh ground.

Venus is retrograde for 40 days. This reminds me of the "40 days and 40 nights" story from the Bible. Jesus wandered in the wilderness fasting, after which he is said to have been tempted by Satan. It was the number of days in Noah's flood. For more information click here for a Wikipedia page on the number 40.

Retrograde Venus can feel like a time in the wilderness. Whether it's around the issue of money, spending, earnings, direction, possessions, integrity, beauty, attractiveness, marriage, love, romance, or all of those things put together - it's a time for changes, reflection, going inward, revisions of attitude, revising the past and plotting the future. It's a time when things come up for some kind of inspection and realization. Second thoughts can come up, with things you previously thought were on a sound footing feeling like they're crumbling away under your feet. Here are two conflicting quotes about "second thoughts":

Second thoughts oftentimes are the very worst of all thoughts. William Shenstone

Among mortals, second thoughts are wisest. Euripides

So which way to go? Believe those second thoughts or see them as retrograde steps? It's interesting to note that the glyph for retrograde, Rx, is also the glyph for prescriptions. Sometimes the way forward is startling clear with no alternatives, so - no choice. Other times you can find yourself having those second thoughts and realizing what made you happy in the past is no longer relevant, possible or rewarding. Relationships sometimes end, others will start and some will go deeper into working out issues that are inhibiting true relationship. However, the main thrust is to make sure you're traveling on the path with the sound footing. 

Venus is going retrograde on Scorpio 14: Telephone Linemen At Work Installing New Connections. The following is from my book The Sabian Oracle: 360 Degrees of Wisdom*

‘Telephone Linemen at Work Installing New Connections’ shows people working and concentrating on laying the ‘Lines’ for ‘Connections’ so that people may communicate with each other easily and effectively. They are laying cables to allow for the smooth functioning of the ‘Telephone’ system. They have a clear understanding of how the equipment works and how necessary and valuable it is to enable people to link up with each other.

This Symbol reflects an increase in the forms of communication that you can have access to, or that you have more communications coming to you. You may find that there has been a failure in communicating your thoughts, ideas or emotions lately. Something is being (or needs to be) done or laid down, in order to solve, repair or patch up the situation. There is nothing to be achieved by worrying about any recent “connection” failures, however something should be done to set about making or repairing the necessary ‘Lines’ of communication. Sometimes advice and help must be called on for all to be resolved. This may need to be expert advice, but it can also be gathered from your own common sense. This can symbolize expansion into areas like the Internet, faxes or business lines. It can also represent the spiritual connection to the “other side”, even channeling. Sometimes, however, in the ‘Installing of New Connections’ problems of crossed-lines occur. It’s important to listen for the real truth in the communications that are being made, not to all the faint chitchat that surrounds what’s being said. Networking and new lines of communications often open up after this Symbol is revealed.

Keywords: Acupuncture and other therapies that work on the body’s meridians. The nervous system. The Internet. Forming new lines of communication. New connections taking place. Linking people up. Making sure that messages get through. Mobile phones, faxes, email. Networks and networking. Switchboards. Satellites. Wires. The ability to reach far distances. Getting on other peoples’ wavelengths. Contacts. Hooking up with the system. UFO experiences. Mobile phones.

The Caution: Failing to see the necessity for repairs to personal communication. Becoming involved in other people’s lives. Gossip. News, thoughts and ideas spreading rapidly and getting out of control. Constant chatting. Being fickle. Sabotage. Engaged signals.

Venus and Mars are conjunct (next to each other), with Mars on Scorpio 16. The Sabian Symbol is A Girl's Face Breaking Into A Smile. This is a wonderful degree which shows the need for smiling and radiating happiness which allows you to draw others closer to you. For some, with Mars on this degree (which can be a positive or a negative, depending on your circumstance), there may be a lack of happiness, warmth, sincerity or desire to reach out to others. Certainly this is a very strong Venus retrograde with Venus and Mars together in Scorpio. Scorpio brings up strong feelings and emotions including passion, rage, jealousy, envy and the desire to relate on a deep level.

The Quest Degree of Mars (the degree following and the degree that Mars moves quickly onto) is Scorpio 17: A Woman, Filled With Her Own Spirit, Is The Father Of Her Own Child. This can show single parenthood, being proud of one's individuality, feeling capable of anything, spiritual experiences that fill one with one's own spirit, self-reliance, the lack of a father figure, invitro fertilization, the complications of adoption, self sufficiency, facing the world feeling whole (or not), having the right to determine one's own future. It can also be uncompromising feminism or chauvinism, feeling like one has to be responsible for everything, unrealistic independence, being left alone and abandoned, having no one to turn to for support, being an adult before one's time.

Mars moves forwards through Scorpio, while Venus goes backwards over the degrees. The Karmic Condition of Venus (the degree before) is Scorpio 13: An Inventor Performs A Laboratory Experiment. This can show the need to make some experiments in your life. What's not working? What might work if you try a new set of ingredients? What changes can be made? This degree is sometimes about taking risks and looking for answers. 

The next degree that Venus retrogrades over is Scorpio 12: A Brilliant Assembly Of Dignitaries At An Official Embassy Ball. This speaks of partying and having fun, manners and protocol, dressing and looking right, who knows who and what it's worth, social and political standing, the Cinderella story, sparkling occasions, international relations, the "My Fair Lady" story, social engineering, speaking the right language. It can be gate crashing or feeling like you'll never get an invitation to 'the ball', having to sit at home while others are out socializing or having to do all the housework and cleaning up after others.

Venus goes retrograde smack on the new Moon in Libra. Libra (the sign that rules relationships) is ruled by Venus (the planet that rules relationships), so this is a very strong Venus retrograde story. Further, Mercury and Saturn are conjunct (together) in Libra. Plus, Venus will retrograde back into Libra. So, relationships are definitely in the spotlight.

Mercury and Saturn are conjunct on Libra 9: Three Old Masters Hanging In A Special Room In An Art Gallery - Sometimes They Seem To Speak To Each Other. This speaks of reverence for art, form and tradition, images bringing messages (this is the Sun degree of Marc Edmund Jones, the astrologer who gave birth to the Sabian Symbols), it's about the art of placement, the Sabian Symbols as images, animations, portraits, faces. This conjunction of Mercury and Saturn can show loneliness, alienation and feeling like one can't speak one's truth. A remedy can be getting your life in order (perhaps doing the filing, taxes or paperwork) throwing things out that don't work, being discriminating about what you allow into your life. 

Although Venus goes retrograde on October 8, in reality it's been in its shadow period since early September. Venus goes direct (forward) again on November 18 on Libra 28: A Man Alone In Deep Gloom, Unnoticed, Angels Are Coming To His Aid. This speaks of feelings of finally not being totally alone, awareness of spiritual forces in times of need, salvation versus depression, feeling like one's luck is about to change, changes in the "weather", helpers arriving just when they're needed, brightening influences, angels and spiritual forces for good, guardian angels. Hopefully, the message of this Venus retrograde period is one of coming out of difficulties, finding friends and helpers (or being that for others) and feeling a release of energy. 

Venus is then in its shadow period (passing back over the degrees it's previously transited) until December 20 when it's back on Scorpio 14: Telephone Linemen At Work Installing New Connections. So, it will be Christmas before Venus really gets going in forward motion over new ground.

How are your connections? Do you have friends you can talk to? Are you in alignment with the people in your life? Are you feeling loved and appreciated? These are Venusian issues and likely to be some of the questions that arise to be considered during this retrograde period of Venus.  

Coming Ashore And Coming Of Age: September's Aries Full Moon

Change starts when someone sees the next step. William Drayton

The journey of a thousand leagues begins from beneath your feet. Lao Tzu

And forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair. Kahlil Gibran

Everything teaches transition, transference, metamorphosis: therein is human power, in transference, not in creation; and therein is human destiny, not in longevity but in removal we dive and reappear in new places. Ralph Waldo Emerson

But the beginning of things, of a world especially, is necessarily vague, tangled, chaotic, and exceedingly disturbing. Kate Chopin

Who would be 
A merman bold, 
Sitting alone 
Singing alone
Under the sea,
With a crown of gold,
On a throne? Lord Alfred Tennyson 

September's full Moon heralds a significant time that will be very meaningful on many levels. Occurring on Thursday September 23, it sits exactly on the Cardinal Cross that's been building and building these last few years. The Symbols of the Cardinal Cross include themes of emergence, self realization, taking control, standing up and being counted, assessing where ones beauty and talent lies versus being stuck on a pin and sacrificing growth or movement. The significance of the Cardinal Cross stems from the fact that there's been a lot of planetary activity around the degrees where the solstices and equinoxes occur. Importantly, this full Moon is exact a mere thirty minutes after the equinox, amplifying the energy of the equinox and it is bound to bring some peak energies that we can sense and tap into. 

The Sabian Symbol for the full Moon is one I've spoken about many times in recent times as it's had, and will again have, Jupiter and Uranus spending time on it. The Symbol is Aries 1: A Woman Has Risen Out Of The Ocean, A Seal Is Embracing Her. This is a beautiful image and one that's very evocative. It speaks of the need, or the desire or the necessity of finding ones feet and ones voice. Like the mermaid of this image, when one emerges into a new life there's a need for reorientation and a need to feel 'embraced'. There are many things to be learnt and negotiated. From my book *The Sabian Oracle: 360 Degrees of Wisdom -

Commentary: ‘A Woman Has Risen Out of the Ocean’. She is consciously aware of leaving the past behind in order to emerge into a whole new arena of existence and activity. The ‘Seal Embracing Her’ symbolizes her being welcomed into this new arena. This degree is right on the cusp of Pisces and Aries, when the yearly astrological cycle begins again. It’s like the beginning of a new year. In the Northern hemisphere it marks the beginning of spring—the Spring Equinox. Long ago there was a belief that the spirits of those who had drowned at sea had the ability to enjoy life in the ocean in the form of ‘Seals’. When they wished, the Selkies could, once per moon cycle, swim ashore, drop their seal skins and become mortals again.

Oracle: New understandings and awareness are coming to light. Whatever is emerging, either in you or around you needs to be accepted, welcomed and nurtured. It’s best to resist the old familiar ways of being or relating as they can pull you back to outgrown and possibly unsatisfactory conditions. Maybe you feel you are not being acknowledged, don’t have a voice or are not being heard. Take heart as comfort and salvation are likely to be found in the most unexpected places. Despite any setbacks, be aware that you possess the power to make the necessary changes in your life. It is time to claim your place or make a mark in this new world. So much potential lies ahead of you. Welcome this new beginning and be fearless in the face of the changes that are coming. Accept the ‘Embrace’ of those who welcome you into this new sphere. It is inevitable that you’ll leave something behind as you move into this new territory. Enjoy the journey and give birth to self-love, self-worth and divine creativity. Let go of the past and emerge into life and love.

Keywords: Cycles starting. Beginnings. Emergence into concrete manifestation. Embracing and honoring the shadow. Recognizing our animal side. Tropical islands or lands. Rocky shores. Seals. Oceans and water. Shedding skins. Transmutation. The Selkie myth. Grounding one’s energy. Stepping between the sea and the shore. Androgyny. Love and its embrace. Finding your feet and your voice. Mermaids.

The Caution: Using masculine power to overshadow emotions. Refusing to move on. Feeling held back by fears and old life patterns. Falling back into previous, unsatisfactory conditions. Dragging others backwards. Immobilizing fear of the unknown. Being just another “fish in the sea”.

Just two degrees away, Jupiter and Uranus are on Pisces 29: Light Breaking Into Many Colors As It Passes Through A Prism. Keywords for this degree include: Spectrum analysis, color and crystal healing, rainbows, light refraction, side effects, considering many facets of a situation, endless opportunities, optics, sight, seeing, copying and sharing ideas or things, disseminating information, auras and aura photography, triangles, polarization of light, reflection, laboratory tests, diffracted personalities.

The Cautions: Locked in to a set of parameters, over analyzing things, being blinded by ambition, daunted by the task ahead, mirages, using microscopes and binoculars but not seeing things as they really are. 

The message from the Sun is Libra 1: A Butterfly Preserved And Made Perfect With A Dart Through It. This degree can show where we're stuck, pinned or sacrificing self or needs or our ability to move through life freely. Saturn recently spent quite some time on this degree. It speaks of perfection and beauty made immortal, holding onto things or events from the past, unchanging realities, moments frozen in time, superficiality, external beauty that's lacking animation, transfiguration, suspension in time, posters, pinning things up so they can be admired. Sacrifice because of ones beauty, social position, responsibilities or habits and addictions can be a major factor in feeling like one can't move forward, spread their wings or take off and fly freely. Where and how are you stuck? Where is the 'definition' of your life defining who and what you can be?

The Quest degree of the Sun (the degree after) is Libra 2: The Light Of The Sixth Race Transmuted To The Seventh. This speaks of younger or more vital elements taking over from the elders, the fruits of the new age, ascension and evolution, growing older and wiser, UFOs and aliens, music that lifts ones spirits, gurus and avatars, demarcations of evolution, transmutations, indigo children, evolving. 

The degree following is Libra 3: The Dawn Of A New Day Reveals Everything Changed. This is two days after the full Moon and is such a dynamic degree of change and growth and new perspectives. The following few degrees of the Sun are also insightful, interesting and promising - you may find it interesting to look them up and concentrate on them in the days following the full Moon. 

Mars, the ruler of the Aries full Moon, is on Scorpio 5: A Gold Rush Tears People Away From Their Native Soil. This speaks of the desire (or the need or compulsion) to move on, the longing and the search for the easy fulfillment of hopes and dreams, leaving ones native soil, having a cause or mission to pursue, leaving home, people, family, dropping everything to chase a project, pilgrimages, the search for riches, immigration and migration, listening to clues, the search for the Holy Grail, pursuing a better life.

Nearby is Venus, the ruler of the Libran Sun, on Scorpio 10: A Fellowship Supper Reunites Old Comrades. This speaks of renewing bonds with those you're shared struggles, feeling like you're known someone for lifetimes, breaking bread, drinking wine, sharing meals, talking about the past, the Last Supper, partaking in the gifts of special relationships, fated meetings, past life memories, having a million and one things to talk about, gathering with like minded folk or kin, reunions and memories. 

Mercury is on Virgo 14: A Family Tree. This speaks of belonging to a lineage, a family, a nation, a tradition, the story of where one comes from, issues of pride in heritage, the importance of parents and family, branches in databases, having strong and secure roots, ancestors, calligraphy, fine pens, filling in the gaps, adoptions, step families, pedigrees, kin, genealogy, inheritance, family Bibles. 

Saturn is on Libra 7: A Woman Feeding Chickens And Protecting Them From The Hawks. This speaks of nurture, protection and guardianship, being on the lookout for changes in the atmosphere, spotting problems that nobody else notices, shielding innocents from the "bad guys", motherhood and the stress of it, predators, being firm with outsiders, asylum, places of residence. Especially with Saturn here, it can show over protection, unable to cope with everyday problems, not allowing others to grow up, always being on the lookout for problems, neurotic worrying about what may happen, seeing the world as a big, scary place, being picked on, taking advantage of the innocent, protection money, attacking others, etc. 

Chiron, the Wounded Healer, the story teller and the place where we can examine our wounds and the stories we tell ourselves, plus Neptune, are on Aquarius 27: An Ancient Pottery Bowl Filled With Violets. This shows flower and herbal remedies, returning to ancient sources, setting standards for society, beauty, cleanliness, purity of thought and emotion, homeopathy and pharmacopoeia, stains and dyes, flowers, dainty, small and lacy things, gentleness, things that remind you of your grandmother, the old supporting and nourishing the new. This degree of the zodiac is where the Sun is every Valentine's Day - it shows the need to show love and care and nourishment to oneself and others, to give of ones beauty and grace.

The Moon's north node is on a beautiful degree - Capricorn 9: An Angel Comes Carrying a Harp. This speaks of lifting faith and hope, messages of peace (sometimes from the other side), being in tune - spiritually - mentally and emotionally, creating harmony, heavenly attunement, promises of redemption, revelations, beautiful tunes. 

Last but by no means least is Pluto almost exactly square to the full Moon. This is a dynamic aspect and one that is asking for transformations and shows the need for going deeply into things. The Symbol is Capricorn 3: The Human Soul, In Its Eagerness For New Experiences, Seeks Embodiment. This speaks of finding the spark, that divine spark, the beauty of your creativity, your ability to really reveal yourself or drop into yourself in a authentic and unique way. This is a dynamic degree - the Sun is on this degree on Christmas Day each year and it carries a rather strong Christ consciousness = the desire to really embody who you truly are.

The Mermaid is now asking the same of us at this full Moon. 

*There's a reprint of my book arriving soon. I've renamed it The Sabian Oracle: 360 Degrees of Wisdom. 

Life's A Zoo - Come And See The Show! September's Virgo New Moon

The city is not a concrete jungle, it is a human zoo. Desmond Morris

To be human is to keep rattling the bars of the cage of existence hollering "What's it for?" Robert Fulghum

Man must realize his own unimportance before he can appreciate his importance. R.M. Baumgardy

If an animal does something we call it instinct; if we do the same thing for the same reason, we call it intelligence. Will Cuppy

There are 193 living species of monkeys and apes. 192 of them are covered with hair. The exception is a naked ape, self-named homo sapiens. Desmond Morris

Be tolerant of the human race. Your whole family belongs to it - and some of your spouse's family does too. Anon

If we evolved from the monkeys, why are there still monkeys? Kathleen Madigan

September's new Moon, happening on Wednesday September 8th, is one of fascination, wonder, observation and delight, tinged with some hesitancy as some watch and wait and try to figure things out. The Sabian Symbol is Virgo 16: Delighted Children Crowd Around The Orangutan Cage In A Zoo. 

The following is my interpretation of this degree from my book 360 Degrees Of Wisdom: Charting Your Destiny With The Sabian Oracle: 

This Symbol expresses the desire to relate across gulfs of differences that are very obvious between different species. Observing the life of an ‘Orangutan’ is like looking into an evolutionary mirror. We are able to see where we have been, how differently we relate to the world, and how we have chosen to deal with our environment. It is not a matter of the human species being better. Indeed, one comes to realize the degree of similarity. Sometimes people we encounter in life seem to be from a different species (or planet!) and have a totally opposite perspective of life, leading to completely different ways of acting and reacting. It can, at times, lead to a feeling of separation, but there is value in remaining aware of and appreciating the similarities and common ground along with the differences. There may need to be a “primitive”, or ‘Childlike’ response. It is also by facing the baser instincts that you can realize a fresh, new approach to those around you.

Keywords: Karmic confrontations between the creatively integrated and the unevolved. Objects of derision, fascination or worship. Showing off or acting to get a reaction from others. Trying to relate to others that don’t understand. Feeling like one is in a zoo. Observing others. Curiosity. Crowding around. Everyone wanting to have a look. Going by instincts. Television shows such as Jerry Springer. News networks. The media. Lack of social inhibition.

The Caution: Egoistic feelings of being better or in a higher state of evolution. Having no place for privacy. Gaping at others. Taunting people. Daring others to do something outrageous or animal-like. Making fun of people. Building cages. Hiding from view. Fences and barriers. The intrusion of the media (beating up stories). Eliciting sick behavior from others.

Of course, how this will affect people depends on their individual situations. Certainly, many will feel like they're living in a zoo. This can lead to feelings of being different, standing out, or, it can be that we're seeing things or having to put up with things that can be confronting, compromising or strange. 

Weather anomalies are happening around the globe and New Zealand just had a big earthquake. The energy that's around is very strong right now. The Quest degree, (the degree after the degree the new Moon) is Virgo 17: A Volcanic Eruption Bringing Dust Clouds, Flowing Lava, Earth Rumblings. Something is set to release, emerge or blow up. The keywords for this degree are:

Thoughts or ideas pouring out, torrents of thought or emotion, anger that needs expression, eruptions that are quickly overcome, pressure cooker environments, after shocks, waiting for the dust to settle, cathartic release, volcanoes, earthquakes, earth tremors, rumblings, earth changes, dust... it can lead to situations being turned to "rubble". 

The Volcanic Eruption degree is not saying everything is going to be bad - it can imply wonderful ideas erupting, things emerging from deep within, treasures found, sudden realisations, etc. 

Mercury, the ruler of the Virgo new Moon, is retrograde on Virgo 7: The Harem. Dane Rudhyar in his wonderful book An Astrological Mandala has the Keynote for this degree: A fateful (even if sought after) subservience to the vagaries or desires of the emotional nature. Further, he says about this degree that it's the emptiness of waiting. 

This placement of Mercury can bring up issues to do with relationships in many ways. Perhaps someone thinks they are masters of a situation or in control of another or others. Maybe they see themselves as the sultan, the boss, head honcho or Grand Poobah. Whatever, there can be an imbalance of power, as, this degree can show people (particularly women) giving away their power. Of course, some benefits or privileges can come from being complicit or accepting of someone else's ideas or desires. Other times, one can feel like just one of a number of others who don't have much say, power or position. Some will feel like they're left out of the main action or are not succeeding in getting much of someone's undivided attention. 

There is also the possibility if the enjoyment of friends, particularly women, and the feeling of being in a community that understands and supports you. Gossip, painful intentions or jealousy are directly counter productive and can cause problems. This degree points to the benefits of sharing and caring and being supportive of each other and it can apply equally to issues to do with relationships, friendships, relationships at work, etc. Building community is the true goal. 

Venus is on a degree that asks that we look for signs, learn and employ our knowledge and understanding to life. The Sabian Symbol is Libra 30: Three Mounds Of Knowledge On A Philosopher's Head. This speaks of wisdom that transcends book knowledge, philosophy, being an impressive figure, making wise decisions regardless of hard-line opinion, predicting the future, wit, style, seeing potential in others. The cautions include analyzing things too much and too much reliance on intellect, being a "know-it-all", having a bossy attitude (whoops, there's that sultan again), taking things far too seriously, people with "highbrow" attitudes, etc. 

Moments after the new Moon, Venus goes into Scorpio. The Sabian Symbol is Scorpio 1: A Sightseeing Bus Filled With Tourists. This speaks of observing life, seeing how other people live, watching from afar, tourists, traveling, buses, planes, suitcases, luggage, cameras, pictures, souvenirs, tour guides, timing and being on time, the untried and untrodden or the same old road, getting lost in something for hours, foreign territories, new ways of seeing. 

We take snapshots of life with Venus on The Sightseer degree. 

Mars is on a degree that asks us whether we want to employ power and force or love and acceptance to situations. The Sabian Symbol is Libra 26: An Eagle And A Large White Dove Turning Constantly Into Each Other. 

The keywords are: tempering one's will with love and bolstering up one's emotional responses with strength, cooperation of mind, will, spirit and heart, eagles and doves, being strong and soft at the same time. It can, especially with Mars on this degree, show being "all over the place" with reactions, being changeable, not acting for the purpose of a definite outcome, confusing others with conflicting behavior, not knowing what to expect next, one one minute - off the next.

Saturn is on the very last minute of Libra 5: A Man Teaching The True Inner Knowledge Of The New World To His Students. Saturn may be asking if we're getting the message, learning the lessons, teaching what we know, walking our talk, being an example to others, etc. There can be a purity of knowledge with this degree. There can also be, as Saturn is here, lessons brought about by a refusal to observe, listen or learn. This can be quite a karmic placement of Saturn. What are you giving out and what are you taking in?

Directly after the new Moon, Saturn swiftly moves onto Libra 6: A Man Watches His Ideals Taking A Concrete Form Before His Inner Vision. With Saturn here, there can be vivid confrontations with one's objectives, imagining things - for better or for worse, meditations and affirmations, putting things out into the universe, making things happen, seeing things take shape and form, getting published, etc. It can also show issues or problems arising from situations that were not taken seriously enough. What is it that you're creating in your life? Is it a long-term solution? Are you seeing things coming to light that feel somehow karmic or fated? Saturn on this degree can show us how we create our own reality, and, it can bring things to the surface for a healing - especially with the Moon and the Sun on the Volcanic Eruption degree shortly after the new Moon. 

Pluto's message has long been one of wanting us to find a transformation in our lives and it's currently on a very transformative degree. The Sabian Symbol is Capricorn 3: The Human Soul, In Its Eagerness For New Experiences, Seeks Embodiment. This is a very creative degree and can show the experience of "being born again". There can be a very strong urge to experience life passionately, meaningfully and fully in every sense of the word.

The Moon's north node shows the possibility, or the need, to let go of the old stories of your life. The Sabian Symbol is Capricorn 10: An Albatross Feeding From The Hand Of A Sailor. This speaks of feeding one's higher nature with good nourishment, banishing worries so that one can fly ever higher, overcoming superstitions or beliefs that hinder. The north node is asking us how long we can go on carrying things around our necks like the sailor in "The Ancient Mariner" story. Time to break free of constraints and to let go of those old stories?

The Moon's south node is on Cancer 10: A Large Diamond In The First Stages Of The Cutting Process. This speaks of coming to terms with inner wealth, the first stages of developing or building something really wonderful and worthwhile, it can show beauty that is within, even if it has flaws, potential, self development courses, craftsmanship and knowing when to start and when to finish. This degree can speak of a "diamond in the rough" and perhaps our ongoing journey is one of cutting, shaping and honing to get that gemstone that we are more and more perfected!

 

Testing Times Or The Tried And True: August's Pisces Full Moon

One of the rules of caution is not to be too cautious. Bahya ibn Paquda.

There is perhaps nothing so bad and so dangerous in life as fear. Jawaharlal Nehru

Fear defeats more people than any other thing in the world. Ralph Waldo Emerson

Never feel self-pity, the most destructive emotion there is. How awful to be caught up in the terrible squirrel cage of self. Millicent Fenwick. 

Why not go out on a limb? Isn't that where the fruit is? Frank Scully.

Of all the thirty-six alternatives, running away is best. Chinese Proverb

August's full Moon, falling on August 25 in Australia and August 24 in the United States, is one that has some fairly strong emotions attached to it - and not only because it is a Pisces full Moon. The Sabian Symbol is Pisces 2: A Squirrel Hiding From Hunters. This is a very interesting, and, at times, rather confronting Symbol. It speaks of things such as using tactics to ensure survival, 'hiding' one's self away, not stepping out into the big wide world for fear of making the wrong move, security systems, caution and reserve, using commonsense, things that feel tiny, uncertain or insecure, refuges and the need for them, staying out of people's way, staying home, locks and keys, stockpiling for harder times.

The following is my take on this degree from my book 360 Degrees of Wisdom: Charting Your Destiny With The Sabian Oracle.

Is someone fretting about their position or future? There may be a sense of aggression in the air where you, or someone you know, may be one of the smaller players. Sometimes the "enemy" is actually not really there, and we make it up through fear or paranoia. To be cautious is wise, but hiding oneself away can lead to missed opportunities for any kind of nourishment and the possibility of freedom, sunshine and basking in the light. The provision of nourishment and sustenance may be difficult if one feels somehow threatened. This feeling of "threat" can happen on any level. It may have been a necessary process to go through the fright, care and worry facing you, but the time has to eventually come when you can feel safe and able to enjoy life. Is your neighborhood threatening or unsafe in some way? Although we may not like to admit it, sometimes 'Hiding' away is the best option, whether your fears are real or merely imagined. This can give you time to sort things through in your heart and mind to decide what your next move will be. This Symbol can bring nervousness and a lack of sleep. If you feel victimized and "holed-up" in this matter, perhaps a safer home, or living environment, would make things easier. It is true that if we project fear out into our environment, it will most likely manifest in a reaction or event somewhere. What creative solutions can you employ to ensure a safe (or satisfactory) outcome for all concerned? 

Obviously, not everyone is going to be feeling the above...one of the ways I've seen this degree operating around me is through people just wanting to spend more time at home enjoying their own space, concentrating on their needs and enjoying some 'down time' when they can.

As always, I look at the degree of the Sun at the full Moon as it's very telling about what's unfolding. This is a curious degree and one that had me thinking that, in Australia, the recent election for Prime Minister would return the conservatives to government as their head, Tony Abbott, has strong Catholic views. It seems that as it seems clear that Labor will regain power, we may be spared having to look at or listen to Tony Abbott just by the skin of our teeth, or, perhaps we'll have a hung parliament. But I digress...

The degree of the Sun is Virgo 2: A Large White Cross, Dominating The Landscape, Stands Alone On Top Of A High Hill. This degree can speak of feelings of loneliness or loss which can be healed with signs of hope and faith for a brighter future. A religious experience can change one's life and lead to spiritual fulfillment and the highest sense of joy. However, some may feel that they are being treated like a 'scapegoat' - hung out to dry, having a cross to bear, being a sacrificial lamb - the black sheep of the family, or that one has to shoulder too many responsibilities and live up to society's cultural norms. The controversy of the mosque (it's actually a community center and mosque) that's planned to be built near ground zero in New York would be one example. What a frenzy that project has built up in the last few months - tolerance, acceptance and love works far better than screaming about terrorists. Again, I digress, but truly, people speak about love and then scream profanities and slurs of innocent folk being terrorists -the very people who just want to live a peaceful life...

So, you can see that this degree could get some arguments happening or blood boiling or bigoted or scapegoating actions going on. 

Keywords for Virgo 2 include: Religious ideals dominating, the fear or the wonder of God, following a mystic path, the need to find a savior, being alone and forgotten, monuments to pain and suffering, tributes or memories of those lost or gone before, reminders of salvation, images of redemption, the Church, Christianity and other religions, martyrdom, the Inquisition. 

Without wanting to put the fear of God into anyone, this full Moon could be a very testing time. Certainly it will be for many, but not all. All full Moon's have challenges - although this one is a bit of a doozy. My take on it is that we're in a time of adjustments and finding a more level playing field.

Not wanting to sound like the Inquisition is about to arrive, but Venus and Mars are going to be holding a few people up to scrutiny. Venus is on Libra 18 and Mars will pass over this degree the day or so after the full Moon. The Sabian Symbol for Libra 18 is Two Men Placed Under Arrest Give An Accounting For Their Acts Before The Tribunal Of Society. This is a very interesting degree, especially as it's Venus on a Libran degree (with Mars following closely on Venus' heels). This Symbol speaks of having to plead one's case, the need for "legal help", unacceptable principles, blowing the whistle, people unable to relate, karma to be worked out, being framed, restrictions, people in handcuffs (stuck together?), identification parades, the law, tribunals, breaking laws. It can speak of shutting off to cope, not having one's point of view heard, losing authority, being bound karmically, feeling stuck, unable to move. 

Yes, that's a big placement for Venus and Mars to be occupying, especially as the degree following is another difficult Symbol. It's Libra 19: A Gang Of Robbers In Hiding. Both Venus and Mars will travel over this degree in the few days after the full Moon. Now, I don't want people worrying about this degree. I find it most often (more often than not) brings up issues of a subconscious nature - those ideas, thoughts and emotions that run through our minds that are not useful, that hurt and restrict yourself and others. The best bet when this degree is around is to identify what's going on - undermining of confidence can be around and suspicions can get out of hand with no real basis to support them. Identifying where you sabotage yourself or others (or where others are doing it to you or themselves), where you step over the line when talking about, thinking about or dealing with others, where you may be a bit off track in your responses. Of course, you may not be doing any of these things, but this degree will come up in some measure. 

The actual degree of Mars is Libra 17: A Retired Sea Captain Watches Ships Entering And Leaving The Harbor. This degree seems to imply the need to take some time out to sit and contemplate what's going on in your life. The 'Ships' can be people passing each other by, people moving around, or it could be speaking of the commerce of life with people coming and going. Even though you may want (or need) to get going with something, Mars might be saying to take time for yourself - to be a bit like the 'Retired Sea Captain'. 

Saturn is on Libra 4: A Group of Young People Sit In Spiritual Communion Around A Campfire. With Saturn on this degree, there could be the feeling of the need to find those of like mind to share your time with; companions on the path. It could also be, for some (seeing it's Saturn on this degree) that as the years progress the yearning to be with spiritually like-minded others is becoming more of an issue. It can also show people feeling their age and wanting to fling off responsibility and get away (perhaps to the wilderness - the 'Campfire') and spend time with people younger than themselves (or young at heart).

Pluto is squaring Saturn from Capricorn 3: The Human Soul, In Its Eagerness For New Experiences, Seeks Embodiment. This is a wonderful degree that speaks of wanting to manifest the self and one's creative urges, the desire to make a contribution, be noticed, drop into the self in an authentic way. This is a great degree for writing, being creative, getting published, finding what one really wants to do. Pluto is retrograde and has been on this degree a few times over the last few years. Many are feeling more and more that urge to create, to write, to contribute, to leave some type of lasting legacy. With Pluto squaring Saturn, many are likely to be finding a scarcity of time, energy or resources. The trick is to push through limitations to find creative ways to manifest your desires; to manifest the self.

Mercury is retrograde on Virgo 19: A Swimming Race. There will be issues of having to get things done, no slacking, no slowing down, just racing towards the main objective. This can speak of the striving for first place or greatness, swimming, sports, competition, wanting to be first at everything, concentrating on one's goal, medals and awards, training and practice, showing your abilities in front of others. Mercury is clapping his hands and saying "hurry up!", but we're hurrying as fast as we can. Besides, who is Mercury to talk (excuse the pun) when he's retrograding? I'm reminded of the Goon Show song (Google it, it's fun) I'm Walking Backwards For Christmas (Across The Irish Sea). Singing that loudly may bring some much-needed levity. 

We definitely need levity and fun and to be able to make light work out of difficult times. Both the Moon's south node and Jupiter have something to say about our ability to laugh, joke and enjoy. The south node is on Cancer 11: A Clown Is Caricaturing Well-Known Personalities. This is a degree of wanting to entertain, to enjoy, to make light of life. It can be parodies of personalities, making fun of someone (or people in general), life imitating art (we see it in our political systems all the time). Jupiter is on Aries 2: A Comedian Entertaining A Group Of Friends. This speaks of seeing the funny side of things, having insights, always being on the go mentally, putting on a show for others, cracking up with laughter, ragging on each other, inside jokes, the jester, etc. 

Soon after the full Moon, Mercury moves back onto Virgo 18: Two Girls Playing With A Ouija Board - seems we need to be listening to our intuition and psychic selves (and reliable others) in order to grasp what's going on. 

I like the message of Jupiter and the Moon's south node; to be able to joke, enjoy, have fun and see the light side of life. I reckon that's a prescription for getting us past the more difficult aspects of this full Moon. It's a meaningful time, but then it always is. 

Reaching Out And Starting A New Experiment: August's Leo New Moon

Observation is a passive science, experimentation an active science. Claude Bernard 

Everybody's a mad scientist, and life is their lab. We're all trying to experiment to find a way to live, to solve problems, to fend off madness and chaos. David Cronenberg

I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work. Thomas Alva Edison

The man who makes no mistakes does not usually make anything. Edward J. Phelps

The true scientist never loses the faculty of amusement. It is the essence of his being. J. Robert Oppenheimer

If you shoot for the stars and hit the moon, it's okay. But you've got to shoot for something. A lot of people don't even shoot. Robert Townsend

August's new Moon, falling on August 9 in the United States and August 10 in Australia, is one that is asking us to take a look at where we can create some miracles, changes, experiments or take some chances. The Sabian Symbol is Leo 18: A Chemist Conducts An Experiment For His Students. This is a wonderful degree of discovery, trial and error perhaps, but being prepared to take on the new in some way to see where it might lead you. The following is from my book 360 Degrees of Wisdom: Charting Your Destiny With The Sabian Oracle:

The 'Chemist' can be someone who is interested in trying something new. Even with all the appropriate credentials and experience, there may be a feeling of being unsure of the actual outcome. However, 'The Chemist' may be someone who is not prepared to take any risks and is performing the exact same mix of ingredients, again and again. The creative 'Chemist' knows that a mix of new ingredients can lead to new creations, solutions, observations and discoveries. You may find yourself discovering new things in an authoritative or observant position. The message for you in either situation, whether you are the 'Chemist' or a 'Student', is to pay attention to the small as well as the large details. Be prepared to take a few calculated risks with this situation, it may lead to new and satisfying solutions. Something unexpected and exciting may happen!

Keywords: Alchemy. Stepping out of the usual rules and taking a risk. New and untried procedures. Syllabus and education. Wisdom being passed on. Putting things "to the test". Throwing out what doesn't stand up. Ingredients. Bunsen burners. Test tubes. Microscopes. Seeking rational answers. Science and chemistry. Leading by example. The thrill of discovery.

The Caution: Always going "by the rules of the book" leading to inertia and suppression of creative ideas. Being afraid to take a chance because the situation may get out of control. Refusing to reveal one’s formula, lest it be copied. Narrow viewpoints. Skepticism. Being a stickler for conservative science. Not trusting other's abilities. Chemicals that pollute and distort.

So, whether you're a "mad scientist" or a more cautious experimenter, this is a time to put things to the test. How and where can you change your life so it's more fun, creative, rewarding and enjoyable? 

Certainly, it seems, some things probably need attention, especially as Venus is exactly squaring Pluto on this new Moon. This can bring up all kinds of intense energies and emotions, power plays, strong attractions or repulsions, the desire to rewrite the rules or the outline of the future. There can also be jealousy or a drive to throw out relationships or situations that have outlived their welcome. Being with others that support your goals, stimulate your life, provide fun and social and intellectual stimulation, and, perhaps, bring more passion your way is the way forward. 

The Sabian Symbol for Venus is Libra 4: A Group Of Young People Sit In Spiritual Communion Around A Campfire. This speaks of joining with others, taking care of communal matters, kindred spirits, soul mates, unity, fellowship. The 'Fire' can be anything that 'in-spirits' you; it can be a common cause or desire, the Internet, something you're studying, beliefs that inspire and generally being with friends and companions. 

Pluto, exactly squaring Venus, backs up this message. The Sabian Symbol is Capricorn 4: A Group Of Young People Entering A Canoe For A Journey By Water. This shows the need, or desire, for cohesive effort, cooperation and coordination. This, too, shows people with a common goal or destination in mind. After all, if people are rowing in different directions, the 'Canoe' could end up getting nowhere or just going around in circles. 

The square of Pluto to Venus is very likely to bring some dramatic changes to some relationships and friendships. Something may need to change and the changes may have been coming for some time. They may have been obvious, but some may be taken by surprise by the energies that are being stirred up by this configuration. Who are you rowing your canoe with? Who, or what, needs to be jettisoned in order for life to flow more smoothly. Rapids may be ahead, but whatever is happening is bringing a transformation on some level.

This square is backed up by Mars also being in the picture. It's conjunct (together with) and squaring Pluto, so the energies could get pretty fired-up and intense. Mars is on Libra 7: A Woman Feeding Chickens And Protecting Them From The Hawks. This degree brings the need for nurturing, protection and guardianship, being on the lookout for changes in the atmosphere, spotting problems (often those that others might not be noticing), shielding the innocents from the "bad guys", being firm with outsiders, asylum, protecting places of residence. 

Saturn is in this mix as well. It's on Libra 2: The Light Of The Sixth Race Transmuted To The Seventh. This speaks of ascension and evolution, finding kindred spirits, sharing visions, growing older and wiser, moving into a new state of being, waking up to a new life, etc. With Saturn on this degree, there could be a feeling of being stuck, not wanting to rock the boat, not wanting to take a risk to move into a new sense of being, a new sense of operating in the world. This is essentially a dynamic degree and Saturn may be challenging many to let go of the past, to evolve and move past issues that confine or stop growth. Growing in so many ways is the message from Saturn, if you can let go of the strictures that could be restraining you. Confidence is needed here, along with a plan that allows for us to step up to who and what we're meant to be. 

Venus and Mars and Saturn and Pluto all in aspect to each other is an intense configuration for sure, and the energies are ramped up with Jupiter being smack opposite that Saturn, Venus and Mars conjunction and squaring Pluto. Jupiter brings the desire for expansion, freedom and authenticity and this is made even stronger by its placement on Aries 3: A Cameo Profile Shows The Profile Of A Man That Suggests The Outline Of His Country. This speaks of being true to your 'Profile' - how do you see yourself? how do you fit in? how are you going in terms of being the person you're truly meant to be? how are you fulfilling your destiny?

What a doozy this new Moon is with all that going on. We haven't even thrown in Uranus yet and it's definitely in the mix. It's conjunct Jupiter and opposite Saturn, Venus and Mars and squaring Pluto. The degree of Uranus is Aries 1: A Mermaid Emerging From The Ocean, A Seal Embraces Her. This, as I've mentioned in previous writings, shows the necessity of emerging, finding the place where one is meant to be, and, as with 'The Mermaid' finding your feet and your voice and shedding old skins, somewhat like the Selkie myth (Google it and read up about it, it's very interesting).

Concerns with material or financial survival could be foremost in our minds as Neptune is on Aquarius 28: A Tree Felled And Sawed To Ensure A Supply Of Wood For The Winter. This shows the need for resources, being prepared for harder times, stocking up and stock piling, renewable resources, axes and tools, stores and provisions, money, oil, petrol, fuel of all kinds. Concerns about security could stop some from making the changes that are needed, or constrict from taking a chance on breaking free. Wood is used to make money and paper and this degree can show issues to do with publishing.

Last, but certainly not least, is Mercury on Virgo 15: A Fine Lace Ornamental Handkerchief. This can show a need to be mindful of your own and other's sensibilities and emotions. Treading carefully is the need here as trampling over emotions can lead to upset or disappointment or emotional reactions. Of course, none of this is necessary, but this degree does tend to show emotions rising up (or the need for it). It's how they're handled that shows whether that 'Handkerchief' is merely for show or if it's needed to soak up those emotional reactions. It can also show a case of "crocodile tears" (insincere emotions - it's an 'Ornamental Handkerchief'. 

It's interesting to note that Jupiter, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto are all retrograde. For some, this will mean that the forward impulse is strong but there may need to be some time taken to honestly evaluation where the 'Experiment' is taking you. This is a very dynamic new Moon, an exciting, challenging and promising one. Perhaps it's time for your magician's hat! - particularly as the Karmic Condition (the degree before) Mars is Libra 6: A Man Watches His Ideals Taking A Concrete Form Before His Inner Vision. What are you manifesting? Venus passes over this degree a few days after this new Moon. 

Listening To And Acting Upon Dawning Truths: July's Aquarius Full Moon

There are two freedoms - the false, where a man is free to do what he likes; and the true, where he is free to do what he ought. Charles Kingsley 

A man must consider what rich realm he abdicates when he becomes a conformist. Ralph Waldo Emerson

I had examined myself pretty thoroughly and discovered that I was unfit for military service. Catch-22

I was court martialed in my absence, and sentenced to death in my absence, so I said they could shoot me in my absence. Brendan F. Behan

Just because your doctor has a name for your condition doesn't mean he knows what it is. Anon

The doctor is to be feared more than the disease. Latin Proverb

You already have the precious mixture that will make you well. Use it. Rumi

July's full Moon, falling on July 26, is an Aquarian full Moon which seems to be bringing an opportunity to make sense of where your life is heading, with whom and how and why. The Sabian Symbol is Aquarius 3: A Deserter From The Navy Stands Suddenly Aware Of A Dawning Truth: Freedom Is Never The Result Of Compromise. 

This can speak of sudden realizations, rebellion, leaving although allegiance had once been pledged, opting out because of pressure, harassment or bullying, taking risks to get out of a dangerous/destructive/alienating or boring situation, being left behind by someone who's "jumped ship", going AWOL, standing by personal truths, refusing to compromise, knowing when to give up or leave.

It could be that in some situation in your life, the rigorous restraints and rules are no longer comfortable, desirable, bearable or tolerable. This can be about you, or it can be about someone (or something) in your life. Being "signed up" to some commitment can be restricting, limiting and sometimes confronting. There can be a feeling of being taken away from loved ones, home and family, for a reason you don't really understand and not wanting to accept the pressures of separation. However, it could be the exact opposite - home and family life can be too constricting and there may be a desire to leave to pursue another, more independent life. Following your heart's desires or adjusting to what's going on around you can be demanding and there are always consequences for opting out, running away or not playing the game. Are you prepared for them? Is there a 'sudden' realization, a 'dawning truth' that what you've been doing is not necessarily what you want to be doing?

The Cautions for this degree include: Not playing by the rules of socially structured games, being contrary for the sake of it, refusal to face social consequences, not turning up, withdrawing support in a physical, emotional or spiritual way, blowing security, rats deserting the sinking ship.

As you can see, this full Moon, especially as it's in Aquarius, could have some interesting, and, possibly, life changing consequences. This full Moon is at 2.59 Aquarius, meaning that it's right on the brink of the next degree - just one minute of degree off the next one. Hence, the following degree is especially strong. It's Aquarius 4: A Hindu Healer Glows With A Mystic Healing Power. 

The 'Hindu Healer' could be you or someone close to you or someone you meet. The 'Hindu Healer' can pass on the benefits of knowledge to the unwell through healing and purification. The message is to look to your spiritual center for genuine, lasting and healing solutions. This may require focus, practice and determination. You can heal yourself and/or others in some way. Perhaps someone will offer this healing to you. There may be a need to leave the pressures of modern society for spaces that are much calmer, more spiritual or self-focused. Take some time and effort to tune in as the healing experience is occurring. Indeed, a 'Mystic Healing' experience could descend over you and change your life in some way forever.

Keywords for this degree are: Divine healing potency, natural healing methods, going on faith, humility in the face of greatness, yogis and fakirs, finding one's center, healers of all kinds, glowing health, issues of love, spirit and calm, tapping vast reservoirs of healing forces, auras that radiate, pranic energy, urine therapy, reiki healing. 

As always, I look at the degree of the Sun on the full Moon. It's Leo 3: A Mature Woman, Keeping Up With The Times, Having Her Hair Bobbed. Although we cannot really become different by changing our appearance, feeling good about the image we display does radiate both inwardly and outwardly. When the Sabian Symbols were given birth in the 1920's, a woman showed her independence, sassyness and readiness to take on the world through getting her hair 'bobbed'. This degree speaks of keeping up with trends, asserting one's independence from social constraints, wanting to shrug off the years, adopting a younger attitude, changing appearances, hairstyles and hairdressers, hats and scarves, meeting the challenges of age, radiating sexuality, bad hair days, midlife crisis, being a trendsetter, feminism, etc. 

Just as with the Moon, the degree of the Sun at this full Moon is smack on the last minute of the degree. This means that the next degree is going to be very strong. It's Leo 4: A Man Formally Dressed Stands Near Trophies He Brought Back From A Hunting Expedition. This degree is especially interesting following on the one previous to it. Thinking about this, my mind went to the term "trophy wife" - gotta be slim, taut, terrific, pretty, well dressed and presented. Of course, that's not what this is necessarily about, although for sure this will resonate for some. Are you appreciated for your true values? Or, are you fulfilling a role that doesn't really show your talents, depths or abilities? Perhaps this degree is saying that it's definitely time to show your own 'trophies'; your skills, your abilities, what you've accomplished and what you hope to accomplish in the future. Perhaps there's someone in your life who's only ever interested in what they've accomplished, with you standing in the shade.

Keywords are: Trophies of conquest, the desire to show one's self, proving one's animal instincts for the benefit of social position, displays of manliness, the spoils of daring and courage, notches on the belt, victories over another, trophies for one's club, social standing or country, looking for pats on the back, diplomas, guns, rifles, ammunition, Academy Awards, animal liberationists.

There seems to be loads of insight, clairvoyant messages and intuition in the air as Venus is on Virgo 18: Two Girls Playing With A Ouija Board. This can bring through all kinds of energy, especially on the intuitive level or from the spirit world. Stay tuned for messages of all kinds, whether you overhear something said, or see an advertisement or catch a line in an open book. Messages are around for sure. Friends can provide answers that have been sought.

Mars is on Virgo 28: A Bald-Headed Man In Uniform Has Seized Power. This speaks of dominating other's space, taking positions of power, proving one's virility, strutting one's stuff, wearing the pants in the family. Mars may be playing the upper hand for now, although he may not be so cocky when he meets up with Saturn late July/early August. Saturn is a little stuck and Mars will be too when they're together, especially around July 31. The Symbol for Saturn is Libra 1: A Butterfly Preserved And Made Perfect With A Dart Through It. This speaks of holding onto things or events from the past, feeling pinned to the spot, stuck to something and unable to let go... it can be perfection and beauty made immortal and the sacrifice of one's self for an ideal or to be able to keep one's position, even if it means one can't fly free or do what is truly wanted. Here is a bit of a dilemma as Saturn's message is quite different from the full Moon's Deserter From The Navy.

It seems there's a pull between deserting ship and being pinned to the spot, at least in terms of the Symbols for the Moon and Saturn. This certainly seems to be a prime time to get a handle on getting one's life in order as Saturn is providing support by being in good aspect to the Sun and Moon. Further adding fuel to getting life sorted is the good aspects from Uranus and Jupiter. Uranus is on Aries 1: A Woman Has Risen Out Of The Ocean, A Seal Is Embracing Her (finding your voice and your feet) and Jupiter on Aries 4: Two Lovers Are Strolling Through A Secluded Walk (which can speak of walking love's path = together with someone or alone). 

Being clear and keeping lines of communication open may prove to be a bit of a challenge, though, with Mercury smack opposite Neptune. Mercury is on Leo 28: Man Little Birds Chirping On The Limb Of A Large Tree. This can be about gathering with people of like mind, sharing ideas, databases, the Internet and chat groups, books, tapes and CDs, publishing houses, telephone switchboards and the battle to gain attention. All this is great, but there could be a lot of twittering (the 'Birds') going on without much actually being accomplished (all talk no action?). It could be that some are judging, talking about or downright gossiping about others and what they're doing in their lives. Gossip in society is good to a point; it's part of the cohesion of society - without catching up on the stories about others, our lives would have less color and depth. However, when there's a lot of chattering that just ends up being no information but a lot of noise, this can get irritating, time wasting or downright hurtful to others.

With Mercury directly opposing Neptune, communications can be lost, misplaced in some way or just plain scrambled. It can help to follow up on agreements or conversations if things are not as clear as they should be. Interestingly, Neptune is on another tree degree (it's amazing how Elsie Wheeler, the spiritualist medium who gave birth to the Sabian Symbols in 1925 came up with these Symbols). The Symbol for Neptune is Aquarius 28: A Tree Felled And Sawed To Ensure A Supply Of Wood For The Winter. This speaks of gathering resources, being prepared for any eventuality, stocking up and stockpiling, log cabins, open fires, provisions, money, logging, timber, wood for burning, oil, petrol, fuel of all kinds, woodchips, storage. 

The question of this full Moon seems to involve issues of staying or leaving, being persevering or knowing when to cut your losses, choosing happiness over duty, etc. Listening to your 'conscience' could bring some very interesting realizations.

Solar Eclipse! Venetian Gondoliers In A Serenade: July's Cancerian New Moon

Love is like a violin; the music may stop now and then, but the strings will remain forever. Anon 

If music be the food of love, play on. William Shakespeare

The French are true romantics. They feel the only difference between a man of forty and one of seventy is thirty years of experience. Maurice Chevalier

If you describe things as better than they are, you are considered to be a romantic; if you describe things as worse than they are, you will be called a realist; and if you describe things exactly as they are, you will be thought of as a satirist. Quentin Crisp

Beware of over-great pleasure in being popular or even beloved. Margaret Fuller

He must have a truly romantic nature, for he weeps when there is nothing at all to weep about. Oscar Wilde

Tis not the many oaths that make the truth; But the plain single vow, that is vow'd true. William Shakespeare

Anything too stupid to be spoken is sung. Voltaire

July's new Moon is a total solar eclipse. Happening on July 11 in the United States and July 12 in Australia and lasting for 5 minutes and 20 seconds, the path of the solar eclipse cannot be seen unless you are in the Pacific, perhaps at Easter Island or the Cook Islands, although it does extend to the tip of southern Chile and Argentina. It's interesting that this is another 'boat image' as the lunar eclipse two weeks ago had strong boat influences. Click on the eclipse image and you'll see where the path goes (the speck in the middle is the exact path). 

The following is from my book 360 Degrees of Wisdom: Charting Your Destiny With The Sabian Oracle. This is a rather romantic eclipse as the Sabian Symbol implies. It's Cancer 20: Venetian Gondoliers In A Serenade. This speaks of the ideals of romantic fantasy. Although it can sometimes sound like an old cliché, the ‘Gondoliers Serenading’ is the sort of fantasy or special event that many people long for or desire. To be pampered, cared for and transported to a place of romance can be just what is needed, though there may be a need for caution if the romance is really just a fairytale.

This Symbol encourages the breaking away from any restriction of expectation and letting yourself float on the pleasure of romance. Someone (and this may be you or another) may be a little frustrated or bored, and looking to find ways to satisfy their emotional needs. Although this is not the time for seriousness, don’t be fooled by any insincere charades. You may need to develop trust in those around you to be able to surrender to your feelings spontaneously. If the circumstances are right, surrendering to romance should be enjoyed to the hilt. Don’t let doubts get in the way of love or passion; but, do be cautious that you’re not being used for someone’s imaginary or idealistic life. Look to see if you are ignoring the truth in order to satisfy needs. Read between the lines of what’s being said, or the emotions that are conveyed. Look for anything misleading or overblown. Someone may try to convince others of how good they are, or compete with others for love. Be wary of reacting to others who have recently come into the picture, especially those that are vying for affections. Those working hard at winning others over can lead to not being taken seriously. In the end though, people reveal who they really are. Seek out honesty and truth and love will fill your life.

Keywords: Romantic fantasy. Singing and music. Performance. Public speaking. Impressing people with joy, romance, fun and the wonder of life. Venusian displays. Issues of the truth. Ease of communicating. Working to win people over. Appealing to the beloved. Elegance. Floating on the emotions. Festive atmospheres. Nostalgia. Boats. Water.

The Caution: Insincere charades. Retreating into one’s self. Saying whatever it takes to get what one wants. Superficial displays. The delusion of being beyond criticism. Emotional manipulation. Sucking up to others. Misplaced trust. Competing for affections or attention. Losing one’s self.

The 'Karmic Condition' (the degree before) is Cancer 19: A Priest Performing A Marriage Ceremony. The idea of 'marriage' - partnering up with someone, finding the 'ideal mate', staying because one is 'throthed', the issue of vows and keeping them (or not), commitment to a person or a project, marriage guidance, handclaspings, ceremonies, celebrants, sanctified unity, expressions of loyalty and allegiance. So, issues to do with relationship, fidelity, being true to one's self and the other, commitment and staying on course are a big part of the issue of this solar eclipse. Please note that the day before the eclipse, the Sun is on this degree and for about two hours before the eclipse, the Moon is on this degree. 

Further emphasizing singing, romancing and emotional dramatizations is the Quest Symbol -the degree following - please note that this is the degree of the Moon for a few hours immediately after the eclipse and it's the degree of the Sun on the day after the eclipse. The Sabian Symbol is Cancer 21: A Prima Donna Singing. This speaks of having a powerful voice, emotional dramatizations, talent, taking center stage, messages that need to be heard for social reasons, playing out a story or the myths of society, makeup, hairstyles, wigs, costumes, feeling important or special, flowers or brickbats, charisma and presence, commanding attention, having control and good timing, years and years or training or improvising on the spot. Obviously, the 'prima donna' may be horridly demanding, controlling and narcissistic. 

So, this eclipse is about romance for sure with a need to see through what's being said or conveyed. Is there truth in what's going on, or is it merely a momentary illusion?

Venus has something to say about about how many are feeling about life, the universe, romance, everything. It's on Virgo 2: A Large White Cross, Dominating The Landscape, Stands Alone On Top Of A High Hill. This speaks of ideals dominating (often religious or spiritual), the fear or the wonder of God, following a mystic path, the need to find a savior, being alone and forgotten, monuments to pain and suffering, tributes or memories of those lost or gone before, reminders of salvation, images of redemption, the Church, martyrdom, the Inquisition, aloneness and/or sacrifice or the yearning for it, dogmatism, scapegoating, days in the wilderness alone, symbols that inspire guilt and anguish instead of love, acceptance and forgiveness, bullying under the guise of religion, etc. 

Venus is not particularly happy in Virgo on this particular degree. One can benefit by seeing how you may be pinned to the cross. 

As Leonard Cohen sings in his wonderful song The Sisters of Mercy:

Well I've been where you're hanging, I think I can see how you're pinned: When you're not feeling holy, your loneliness says that you've sinned.

Neptune, Chiron and Lilith are smack opposite Venus, bringing a certain amount of confusion, sacrifice, the need for healing and the need for standing strong and tall and finding the powerful feminine voice in amongst all that's going on. Neptune is on Aquarius 29: A Butterfly Emerging From A Chrysalis = time to spread your wings, break free of confinement, to find your feet. Chiron is on Pisces 1: A Large Public Market. How are you out there in the 'market place'? Are you available and willing to get out there? Lilith is on Pisces 2: A Squirrel Hiding From Hunters - perhaps hiding away is what you're wanting to do at the moment. But, are you missing your chance to be 'in the Sun', or finding real nourishment, friends, compatriots, etc. 

There's redemption available though (there always is), in the Quest Symbol of Venus (the degree after) of Virgo 3: Two Guardian Angels Bringing Protection. This is the degree of Venus on the day following the eclipse. This speaks of connection with a sense of inner guidance, visible or invisible protection, people appearing when they're needed, being saved in the nick of time, creative solutions to problems that seemed hopeless or lost. Call on your angels!

The Sabian Symbol for Mars is another Symbol of movement or traveling (as is the boat of the Venetian Gondoliers). It's Virgo 20: A Caravan Of Cars Headed For Promised Lands. This speaks of venturing into life with like minded companions, seeking new territory, leaving behind the known for the unknown, gypsies, Hollywood, California, "boom" towns, the "magic bus". It can be forsaking the individual path in favor of a more secure, common one, perpetual restlessness, constantly seeing the "pot of gold", far-off lands, inability to settle anywhere, being a rolling stone.

Mars seems to be implying that there's a need to get out of your own way, to find those that support your journey, being with those of like mind, getting out of a rut perhaps. 

Saturn's message seems to be to concentrate on issues that are vitally important and need attention. The Sabian Symbol is Virgo 30: Having An Urgent Task To Complete, A Man Doesn't Look To Any Distractions. This shows staying true to yourself and remaining on the path or on the job, one-pointedness, focus on a situation or state of mind, seeing something through to completion, taking the phone off the hook, one-eyed behavior - it can be letting the slightest excuse take you away from what needs to be done.

Saturn could also have many finding it boring, uninspiring or unfullfilling to have to do what they have to do. Mars could bring dreams of what's possible somewhere else and Venus could show feeling lost, alone or forgotten. As these three planets are in Virgo, analyzing things will help, but only to a point. Action may be the thing that pushes you forward to pursue your dreams. Where are those 'promised lands'?

Mercury may be asking the same question. It's on Leo 5: Rock Formations Towering Over A Deep Canyon. This speaks of old structures and deep hazards and the choice of taking chances or standing still. This degree can push people to realize where their backs are against the wall. There can be no going back, forward is the only way as painting one's self into a corner is not going to help. Perhaps there's a need to do a Geronimo and just leap into the unknown. 

Jupiter is on Aries 4: Two Lovers On A Secluded Walk. Jupiter is on this degree for quite a long time as it retrogrades on it. This Symbol can show lovers together and the need to spend time together alone or undisturbed, but it can also show people alone, having to find the lover within themselves. It's a beautiful degree but it can show loneliness. I hear of many people alone and wondering where 'the other' is. 

Perhaps the final word comes through Uranus on Aries 1: A Woman Emerging From The Ocean, A Seal Is Embracing Her. This speaks of finding your feet and your voice - mermaids don't have feet or a voice but as they come ashore they transfigure. Who, or what, do you want to embrace? Where will your voice and your feet take you? What is that serenade you're hearing (or projecting?).

Destinations and Destines - Rowing Your Boat: June's Capricorn Partial Lunar Eclipse

No man can paddle two canoes at the same time. Bantu Proverb 

I think it much better that... every man paddle his own canoe. Frederick Marryat

Like watermen that row one way and look another. Robert Burton

Don't insult the alligator until you've crossed the river. Haitian Proverb

He who rocks the boat seldom has time to row it. Bryan Munro

June's Capricorn full Moon is a partial lunar eclipse. Occurring on June 26, it is mostly visible in south east Asia, Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific. Those in Australia might catch it if the sky is clear as the Moon passes through the southern part of the Earth’s shadow. At maximum eclipse - 9.39pm AEST - over half the Moon’s diameter will be covered. For those who want to catch the beginning of this eclipse, you could tune in around 7.30pm AEST.

The tenor of this blog is a little more intense than my usual newsletters as this is a very intense and meaningful event. Wherever you are in the world, this eclipse is set to have some interesting, intense and profound energies flowing from it. This is because this full Moon is conjunct (smack on) Pluto, the planet of transformations, death, rebirth, sex, and a slew of other deep and meaningful things. Combining Pluto with the full Moon, plus being an eclipse and taking into account the Sabian Symbols points to this being a meaningful, and for many, a deeply transformational time. Some will instigate major changes in their lives, some will have the changes landing on them, sometimes unexpectedly. The trick with this eclipse is, even amongst the more challenging manifestations that emerge, is to take advantage of the life transforming, empowering and engaging energies of this extremely strong lunation. The effects of eclipses stretch on for months, and, if you experience a major event on any level; physically, mentally, spiritually or emotionally, effects can stretch on through the coming months and years. 

This is a time of crossroads, decisions and change. 

The Sabian Symbol for the lunar eclipse and Pluto is Capricorn 5: Indians - Some Rowing A Canoe While Others Are Dancing A War Dance. This degree speaks of people working together in a communal effort to do something or to get somewhere. The fact that some are "Dancing A War Dance" may be the reason some are "Rowing A Canoe" in the first place. Perhaps they need to make a show of strength and define their boundaries. My friend Dale O'Brien says of this Symbol, "The purpose of the 'War Dance' is not merely to evoke frenzied anger, but to see a vision of the battle yet to come, a mystical warrior's preparation. It is as if the consciousness of the 'in trance' dancing warrior is also at once in the warrior's activity (e.g. rowing a canoe)." Maybe they have to row through enemy territory and are confronted by the prospect of an attack. It pays to make sure that the right man has the right job (rowing versus dancing the war dance) - thanks to Paula Wong from Thailand for this insight.

Pluto rules big business, the guys in charge and control, and, as Pluto is conjunct this lunar eclipse it seems that the horrendously offensive and distressing oil spill in the gulf is likely to be stirring up further distress and fairly heated emotions. Without wanting to look deeply into that picture of terrible distress in the Gulf, it's prudent to mention that Pluto rules oil, big (big) business, destruction, death and, often, a big confrontation with the dark side of life. It's also very likely to push people in positions of corporate power to make a show of strength and there could be struggles as people jockey for position. Some in very high positions look set to be called to account, by the law, the media or a higher power. Also, issues to do with Gaza and Israel and everything all the way to the World Cup (soccer for those who don't follow it), could be causing super-charged responses in people.  

With this degree emphasized, some people will be getting on with their lives while others are wanting to make a show of things, perhaps preferring to whip up responses, cause problems or perhaps want others to stop and consider what's really going on. 

So, the lunar eclipse is conjoined Pluto on a degree that challenges some to keep rowing and others to take care of things that have gotten way out of shape. There can be a strong desire to merge with others, and incredibly profound alliances, relationships and realizations can result, but there is also the strong possibility that spending time alone, processing what's going on and withdrawing in order to take a look at Pluto's dark and yet transformational world is in order. There can be the feeling of being held against one's wishes, kidnapped in some way, and a feeling of having to surrender to that bigger, brighter, higher power. 

The Karmic Condition of the Moon and Pluto is also a challenging degree. It's Cancer 4: A Cat Arguing With A Mouse. This can speak of aggressively and actively taking advantage of situations or people, hide and go seek games, harassment, standing up for one's self, questioning established power structures, looking out for one's best interests, shock and fear, cats, mice, hiding, waiting. It can show bickering and arguing and it can show thoughts that bounce around in one's mind - worrying, obsessing, finding it hard to let go of a thought, opinion or emotion. This degree can show a strain on one's nerves and sense of peace. Finding a quite space with friends who care and ensuring your safety, peace and quiet helps to ameliorate any situations that may pop up. 

The Sabian Symbol for the Sun is very telling and, also, a little foreboding. It's Cancer 5: At A Railroad Crossing, An Automobile Is Wrecked By A Train . This degree is always smack opposite - meaning these themes are always tied together - Capricorn 5: Indians - Some Rowing A Canoe While Others Are Dancing A War Dance. This speaks of being aware of going against the grain with people, when you're running counter to their intentions, desires or needs, getting in your way, being aggressive, not listening, pushing their own agenda at the expense of yours, going off the rails, valuing possessions before people, talking so that no one gets a word in, emotional panic, spinning out of control. Of course, you could find yourself doing this... There's got to be a good side to this Sabian Symbol; it can show being the one who takes on the 'big boys' of business, gets in the way, makes a noise to attract attention, refusing to just sit down and take whatever is dished up. The only way 'the car' can be 'wrecked by a train' is if the 'car' gets in the way of the 'train'. The car can equal your own personal destiny and the train can show the collective and it's power, strength and forward push. The train (as the collective) can really only go along the tracks and this they do mostly forwards; the collective rarely goes backwards, but the car has a lot of free will - it can run counter to the train, it can stop dead on the tracks, it can head off in another direction miles away from the train. The car, therefore, represents the individual path and perhaps sometimes one should be a little cautious about getting in the way of the much bigger, stronger, collective. Hence, there are likely to be situations where people are pitting themselves against each other in a big way which could lead to casualties. (Directly after writing this, I heard from my son that he's on his way down to Canberra -with Bob Ellis, for those who might know of him. Canberra is Australia's capital city - there's a leadership battle happening with the Prime Minister). 

The Karmic Condition of the Sun is very interesting as it's a double up of the boat theme of Cap 5. It's Capricorn 4: A Group Of People Entering A Canoe For A Journey By Water. This eclipse is clearly showing a journey, an emotional, spiritual or physical journey, with others, heading in the same direction. Having the eclipse on the Some Rowing A Canoe While Others Are Dancing A War Dance shows the difficulty of keeping everyone on the same page, rowing at the same skill or speed, or ensuring a cohesion of effort. 

Mercury is in the mix with this eclipse, being conjunct (together with) the Sun and opposite Pluto. Mercury is on Cancer 3: An Arctic Explorer Leads A Reindeer Through Icy Canyons. Just this last week, I've seen several photographs of icebergs and wondered whether the oil will make it to the arctic regions and the icebergs. It's a horrible thought, and hopefully not very likely. It's more likely that we've 'struck an iceberg' in some way, or feel like we're progressing through cold and rather austere realities with little to guide us. This degree can show having to make slow and measured progress through difficult conditions (often in very bad weather) and it can show feeling like you're being led around (perhaps by the nose), risky ventures, unfamiliar surroundings, having to work long and hard in places that are perhaps not the usual ones - like trying to put out an oil leak miles under the ocean. (BTW, this was the degree of Mars in the chart of the Titanic).

The message from this eclipse appears to include deciding who's going to be in your boat. Who are you going to include in your life? Who's along for the ride? Who's being irritating, getting in the way, not noticing other people? Who's making a big show of force or trying to intimidate others?

Mars and Vesta are conjunct on Virgo 11: A Boy Molded In His Mother's Aspirations For Him. This can speak about being directed on the journey or shaped against one's free will, plastic or cosmetic surgery, issues of how one should look or act or turn out to be, parents as patterns, the challenge of individuality, allowing others to dictate who you are, following in the family's footsteps, etc. Who is trying to live up to an ideal and perhaps feeling like they are falling short? This seems to be a dual issue, involving both male and female energies through the agency of Mars and Vesta (among many other things, Vesta represents the hearth fire). Someone may be failing to live up to expectations or appearances.

Venus is on Leo 15: A Street Pageant Moving Along A Street Packed With People. This can have people in the street, mixing it up, having fun, enjoying each other. It can also show solidarity of feelings, joining with others for a cause, rallying for some issue. 

Chiron - the Wounded Healer (which incorporates the stories we tell ourselves) is on Pisces 1: A Large Public Market. Well, the mess that the large market gets us into extends all the way from foreclosures on homes and businesses collapsing all the way to the BP spill in the Gulf. The Karmic Condition of Chiron is Aquarius 30: Moonlit Fields That Were Once Babylon Are Now Blooming White. This degree was very active during the oil fires in Kuwait and Iraq and it was the degree of Uranus when Bush and Co. went into Iraq. That these moonlit fields are 'blooming white' can show a 'blooming black' - this degree can mean oil - "once was Babylon". The Black Moon Lilith is also on this degree, sitting smack between Neptune and Chiron. 

Neptune is on Aquarius 29: A Butterfly Emerging From A Chrysalis. This speaks of coming out into a fuller participation in the bigger picture, leaving yesterday behind, opening your wings and learning to fly, becoming more and more beautiful, authentic, embodied, etc, finding one's feet or wings, metamorphosis, huge changes in the works, giving up struggling, the drama of a new life unfolding. 

Jupiter is asking how we fit into the larger scheme of things. It's on Aries 3: A Cameo Shows The Profile Of A Man That Suggests The Outline Of His Country. This speaks of figuring out where and how one fits in, observing one's limitations, standing by one's self, allegiances with creed, religion, race or country, nationhood, brotherhood, the land, people in uniforms of any kind, borders and limitations to activity, identification, expatriates, etc. 

Uranus shows issues to do with the oceans, which is rather telling with what's happening in the Gulf. The Sabian Symbol is Aries 1: A Woman Emerging From The Ocean, A Seal Embraces Her. This speaks, again as with Neptune's placement, of finding one's feet (and your voice), finding land, coming ashore, being reborn, the Selkie myth. It's a fabulous degree of emergence and often shows the process of individuation. 

Saturn may be telling us to go back to the ancient writings and truths to plumb what's going on. The Sabian Symbol is Virgo 29: A Man Is Gaining Secret Knowledge From An Ancient Scroll He Is Reading. This speaks of learning from ancient mysteries, looking for answers, study and its rewards, reading between the lines, finding clues from the past and applying them to the present, alchemy, the Bible, the Torah and the Koran, manuscripts, scrolls, secret papers, classified documents. The last two seem to be stand-out things as big business tries to hide what's really going on and why. The Karmic Condition of Saturn is Virgo 28: A Bald-Headed Man Dominates A Gathering Of National Figures. It seems certain that some heads are going to roll from this eclipse. 

The Moon's north node backs up this learning aspect with the Sabian Symbol of Capricorn 12: A Student of Nature Lecturing, Revealing Little-Known Aspects Of Life. This shows observing and translating so others may learn, green politics, issues the conservatives don't want revealed, nature and natural remedies, science and its rewards and drawbacks, issues such as global warming, whistle blowers, natural healing methods, documentaries, conspiracy theories, etc. 

It seems that often the most honest and deep answers come from the young and the innocent. This is shown now by the Moon's south node on Cancer 12: A Chinese Woman Nursing A Baby Whose Aura Reveals Him To Be The Reincarnation Of A Great Teacher. This speaks of nurturing innocence and its rewards, reincarnation and past lives, charisma and presence, Tibetan mysteries, the Dalai Lama, seeing greatness ahead of its time, Indigo children, visions, holistic perceptions, auras, special people, nurses and nannies. 

This is obviously going to be a big full Moon (a partial eclipse to boot), and one in which many things will be transformed. The trick is to be kind to yourself and others at this most meaningful time.

Celebrating The Providence Of The Earth: June's Gemini New Moon

Not what we have but what we enjoy constitutes our abundance. John Petit-Senn 

Plant a kernel of wheat and you reap a pint; plant a pint and you reap a bushel. Always the law works to give you back more than you give. Anthony Norvell

Earth is here so kind, that just tickle her with a hoe and she laughs with a harvest. Douglas Jerrold

Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. Romanian proverb

Take rest; a field that has rested gives a bountiful crop. Ovid

Life is a festival only to the wise. Ralph Waldo Emerson

Wives are people who feel they don't dance enough. Groucho Marx

June's new Moon falls on June 12 on the Sabian Symbol of Gemini 22: Dancing Couples Crowd The Barn In A Harvest Festival. This is a wonderful degree of celebration, gratitude and fullness of body, mind and spirit, which augers well for the Equinox on June 21 which is traditionally a time of celebration and acknowledgment of the earth's bounty. This looks set to be a great new Moon but there could be some big adjustments, or even upheavals, in the days leading up to June 12 - these will be described below in the Karmic Condition of the planets. 

Here's my interpretation of Gemini 22 from my book 360 Degrees of Wisdom: Charting Your Destiny With The Sabian Oracle: Successful achievements have been accomplished, such as the ‘Harvest’, and efforts have come to a fruitful conclusion and now it is time to gather together with others to celebrate. Everyone should share the pleasure that comes from a successful ‘Harvest’. The hard work is put behind them and they reap the rewards of the benefits available to them in their leisure time. As ‘The Barn’ is ‘Crowded’, many people from the community come together to enjoy each other, the music and to dance. By gathering together and celebrating, a sense of community spirit can develop where there is always something worthwhile to be celebrated.

This Symbol shows the need to be in tune with seasonal rhythms and the natural flow of life. The ‘Harvest’ may mean many things. It can be the actual bringing in of a ‘Harvest’, the birth of a baby, the first performance at school, a religious ceremony, such as a communion or bar mitzvah, or a job well done. It is wonderful when people come together and warmly and sincerely. There is a need to get back to a simpler, conservative level of enjoyment where every person’s achievement is everybody’s pleasure. This can lead to an increased understanding and concern for the individuals within our community. It is also possible for one person’s pain to become everyone’s care. Whatever, the feeling of a healthy heart and a healthy mind, while taking a break from the struggles of providing, is what gives us the strength for the battles of life. Perhaps it’s time to kick up your heels and dance. 

Keywords include: The reality of rhythmical or seasonal adjustments, good old-time values, issues of pride in one's place, going out, having fun, listening and dancing to music, square dancing, barns and dance halls. 

This new Moon is, therefore, about celebrating, dancing, gathering together and enjoying life's bounty. Mercury, the ruler of Gemini, is on another Symbol which speaks of gathering together and enjoying each other. It's on Gemini 4: Holly And Mistletoe Bring Christmas Spirit To A Home. This is a lovely degree that reminds us to be caring and giving to each other and share the spirit of togetherness. Mercury on this degree is like a double whammy of celebration when combined with the degree of the new Moon.

Just as the 'Christmas Spirit' can bring people together, the degree of Venus adds to the theme. It's on Cancer 28: An Indian Girl Introduces Her College Boyfriend To Her Assembled Tribe. This degree sparks off themes reminiscent of the movie Avatar; the mixing together of people from different social stratas, clans or tribes. People may be quite different on many levels but what binds them is love, caring and a sense of community. This degree can show different streams of thought coming together in a common bond - such as the business person who enjoys esoteric teachings or people from different age groups being attracted to each other or people from different sides of the tracks forgetting their differences and finding a common cause or camaraderie. 

Mars is on a wonderful degree, but we have to remember that this is Mars which could have some being upset about outcomes or demands or problems that crop up. Still, the Sabian Symbol is a magic one of help, guidance and inspiration. The Symbol is Virgo 3: Two Guardian Angels Bringing Protection. This speaks of connection with a sense of inner guidance, visible or invisible protection, being saved in the nick of time, counseling and guidance, angels, security systems, salvation, social workers. Put out for the guardian angels to work their magic and see what happens. As Mercury and Mars are in a square aspect (which is considered to be a stressful configuration), it may pay to think twice before speaking or acting. Words could come from wounds and not from the current situation or may be overblown and not truly relating to current conditions. 

As in the Harvest Festival degree, nature is further emphasized by the degree of the Moon's north node on Capricorn 12: A Student of Nature Lecturing, Revealing Little Known Aspects of Life. This speaks of green politics, observing and translating so that others may learn, nature and natural remedies, issues the conservatives don't want revealed, issues such as global warming, whistle blowers, documentaries, conspiracy theories. 

As stated in previous newsletters, Jupiter and Uranus are together on the first degree of the zodiac - Aries 1: A Woman Has Arisen From The Ocean, A Seal Embraces Her. As previously stated, this is a time for finding your feet and your unique voice (mermaids have to do this in order to come on shore and take human form). This is a dynamic combination in a dynamic sign and on a dynamic Sabian Symbol and it could be a case of full steam ahead for many people with their new plans firmly in place. However, without wanting to be a wet blanket, it is prudent to point out that very soon both planets will go retrograde and dip back into the oceanic realm of Pisces. No worries, this is a time of going back over what you really want to be doing or where you want to be or with whom and why. 

The 'Karmic Condition' of Venus is Cancer 27: A Violent Storm In A Residential Canyon Filled With Valuable Homes. Of course, everyone's home is 'valuable' and the day before the new Moon could see some shifts, challenges, dramas or changes of some kind that need careful management so that things do not get out of hand. No matter what the intention, some may find the lead-up to this new Moon rather challenging emotionally, physically or mentally. The trick is to have things fall into their rightful place after the initial stirring up of energies. Being thankful will work wonders to restore a sense of calm and peace. For many, right before the new Moon, there is likely to be a big shakeup where things are thrown into the air in some way and come back down in a different shape, order or combination of factors. Staying calm in the eye of the hurricane is the trick here while knowing that all will be OK.

Also, the day before this new Moon, the Sun is on Gemini 21: A Tumultuous Labor Demonstration. This speaks of pushing for change, feeling hard done by or taken advantage of, protest about having too much to do, going on strike, people in the street, peace rallies, violent protests or sit-ins. People can throw up their hands and declare that they're quitting, giving in, letting go, not trying anymore. This, combined with the Violent Storm of Venus the day before can see us going through some tests as to the veracity of our commitment to be thankful, live in gratitude and love and stay on track. This is also magnified by the Karmic Condition of Mars: Virgo 2: A Large White Cross, Dominating The Landscape, Stands Alone On Top Of A High Hill. This can show monuments to suffering and loss, alienation, sacrifice, images of redemption (or the need for them), martyrdom, the Inquisition (Mars on this degree brings to mind - nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition! - Monty Python for those who appreciate this kind of sillyness.....)

To sum up, it seems that this new Moon shows us the need to relax and celebrate with loved ones and to take a break from the usual chores. Before we do that though, we may have to sort through some difficulties that life has thrown at us. The important thing here is gratitude - that above all else will bring the rewards of bounty that are inherent in this new Moon. 

Knock Knock Who's There? Cupid. Cupid Who?: May's Sagittarian Full Moon

I am not the one who loves - it's love that chooses me. Leonard Cohen

What is uttered from the heart alone, will win the hearts of others to your own. Goethe

Those that go searching for love only make manifest their own lovelessness, and the loveless never find love, only the loving find love, and they never have to seek for it. D.H. Lawrence

The meeting of two personalities is like the contact of two chemical substances; if there's any reaction, both are transformed. Carl Jung

You are a lover; borrow Cupid's wings, and soar with them above a common bound. William Shakespeare

Two friends, two bodies with one soul inspired. Homer

You kiss my lips and then it's done. Leonard Cohen

Know my love and my desperation were one and the same. Jackson Brown

Gravitation cannot be held responsible for people falling in love. Albert Einstein

Happening on May 28 in Australia and May 27 in the United States, May's Gemini full Moon has the wonderful Sabian Symbol of Sagittarius 7: Cupid Knocking At The Door Of A Human Heart. This Cupid degree is one of opening your heart to universal love and allowing an open and honest exchange on a heart level between you and others. Letting this Symbol into your heart will no doubt help with the enormous changing times that are upon us. Cupid knocking at the door is an image of love asking to be let in. Barriers and defenses may be keeping Cupid from coming inside, but how long will the heart be able to resist? Opening the door to one's heart can lead to new opportunities and possibilities around the issue of relationships. Finding the 'key' (to open the door) can lead to big realizations about one's self and others. 

Keywords for this Symbol are: Respectful invitation of love, seeing purity of motive, a key or an arrow, commitment, romance, one-pointed, focused energy which can become obsessive, softening one's boundaries, Cupid's bow, the need to lighten up one's approach to others - it can be the fear of commitment and the fear of romance and opening one's center.

The degree of the Sun at this full Moon is Gemini 7: An Old-Fashioned Well With The Purest And Coldest Of Waters. This degree shows a reliable, sustainable and refreshing supply of the essence of all life - water. Over the years, the water from the well has been available to all who came to draw on it. This well can supply water to a single person, a small family, or a big community. Wells symbolize sources of nourishment, the quenching of thirst, and can also show inner wisdom, and the depth of people, emotionally and spiritually. The people of old saw wells as gateways to the spirit world where the veils between human existence and the greater spirit become thinner, and communications could take place with the gods and goddesses of the nature religions. That this 'old well' has the purest and coldest of waters shows that wisdom and nourishment has not diminished over time. There is always a plentiful supply for those who draw on the well with the right attitude and with sincerity. 

The trick with this well Symbol is to notice if you've cut off your emotions, passions, belief in love, trust or whatever by being a little too self sustaining or cold or frigid. While this Sun degree shows a definite ability (or need) of going deeply and seeing others with the well of human kindness, there is a possibility of not seeing others for who they truly are. Do you see deeply into others to see what their hearts are wanting or needing, do you see the beauty and sincerity of your fellow man? Of course it's not easy to be 'on' all the time (showering your love over everyone), but this full Moon is asking that you spend some time opening that heart center and allowing love to flow out in order that love can also flow in.

The issue of love and relationships is further emphasized a few days after the full Moon when Mars moves to oppose Neptune. This shows a need to align your reality with your fantasy (and vice versa). The Sabian Symbol for Mars when it's opposite Neptune is Leo 29: A Mermaid Has Climbed To The Rocky Shore Of A Bleak Coast; She Awaits The Prince Who Will Bring Her Immortality. Although there are many permutations of what may happen with this opposition, the big message is that Mars may be getting antsy with wondering when this great love will come along. Some will be fed up with waiting for that 'special person' to arrive and may be feeling the necessity of giving themselves a sense of 'immortality' - that their life doesn't depend on a lover or relationship. Still, Mars can fire up one's engines and get the energy going when all hope looked lost and Mars on this degree can bring a fated and wonderful relationship into your life.

The degree of Mars at the full Moon will no doubt be very telling for many who are not in a relationship (many, from what I hear, have not been in a relationship for years and years), is Leo 25: A Large Camel Crossing A Vast And Forbidding Desert. This speaks of having to plug along, often by yourself, carrying a heavy load, continuing even though the load is heavy and the journey long. One needs to remember to eat, drink and take time off with this degree. Dehydration can set in as one forgets the needs of the physical body, even though the body is what takes one forward on this journey. 

Further, relationships are highlighted through the degree of Mercury on Taurus 12: A Young Couple Walking Down The Street Window Shopping. This can have people dreaming about their future - how to make 'it' a reality with all the necessities and joys of life that that entails. The 'couple' may be making plans, shopping for their happiness and succeeding beautifully at it. For those in a committed relationship, this degree can bring wonderful feelings of cohesion and planning a life together. They may, of course, be running themselves into debt in order to chase the good life. Further, this degree, as mentioned in former blogs, may show people 'tire kicking' - shopping around for someone to be with. They may be looking for love online, dating one person after another or just looking out to see if someone desirable comes into view.  

There's been a lot of commentary about the movement of Jupiter and Uranus into Aries. This is definitely a time of feeling like one is on the edge of something; something is going to give and life is going to change. Some may feel that life is set to change to bigger and better and more wonderful things in their lives and some may be worried that all hell is about to break loose. Of course, both can happen at the same time.

The message of Jupiter and Uranus on the last degree of Pisces is to take stock of your life, to see what you want to grow into - what do you want to become? Where is your life leading you? Are you directing your life or are you at the mercy of external events? The Sabian Symbol for Pisces 30 is: A Majestic Rock Formation Resembling A Face Is Idealized By a Boy Who Takes It As His Ideal Of Greatness; As He Grows Up, He Begins To Look Like It. So, what is the ideal that you want to look like? This Symbol speaks of concrete manifestation of one's ideals, enduring truths, defining one's self through conscious manifestation, morphing reality to suit an objective, ambition and growing into a clear sense of self and purpose. So, these coming few weeks offer a wonderful opportunity to really tune into what you want to be or grow into. Take that 'ideal of greatness' and grow into it.

This week, as Jupiter and Uranus move into Aries, we get the opportunity to see how we, possibly again, need to find our voice and our feet. The Sabian Symbol for Aries 1 is: A Woman Has Risen Out Of The Ocean, A Seal Is Embracing Her. This 'mermaid' degree shows the consciousness arising out of the oceanic world of Pisces and into the world of Aries (which is way more 'self centered'). The mermaid has come ashore, she may be in new territory, needing to adjust her lenses of perception after a long period in all encompassing Pisces. Now, we begin another journey into finding ourselves, our individuality, our sense of who we can really be. We begin another round of the zodiac at this point of Aries 1. Many will feel a huge shift with both of these planets moving into Aries. A question could be - where are you set to give birth to yourself? What ways could you both enlarge your perspective of your life while at the same time narrowing it down to what's really real or important or useful?

The journey of a thousand leagues begins from beneath your feet. Lao Tzu

Neptune is also at the end of a sign - Aquarius, although it is going retrograde (backwards) before it heads out of Aquarius and into Pisces. The Sabian Symbol for Neptune is a perfect companion to the Woman Arising From The Ocean - it's Aquarius 29: A Butterfly Emerging From A Chrysalis. This speaks of the slow building of confidence, coming out into a fuller participation in the bigger picture, growing up and out, emerging from the dark, leaving yesterday behind, becoming more and more beautiful, finding one's feet or wings, metamorphosis, huge changes in the works, giving up struggling, the drama of a new life unfolding, etc.

I do not know whether I was then a man dreaming I was a butterfly, or whether I am now a butterfly dreaming I am a man. Chuang Tse

Chiron has just changed signs as well. It's on Pisces 1: A Large Public Market Place. This speaks about being out in the market - getting your wares out there - being visible, available and marketing what you have on offer. Chiron often shows the stories we tell ourselves. What stories do you have about your marketability, your desirability, your worth? Chiron is smack opposite Vesta on Virgo 1: In A Portrait, The Best Of A Man's Traits and Character Are Idealized. This speaks of how people look, their appearance in general, and looking at others in an 'idealized' way - perhaps overlooking their flaws, perhaps there's a need to overlook your own imperfections and to see yourself as beautiful and being worthy of love. Vesta and Chiron are bound to be stirring up the stories of being worthy of love (or not feeling that way). 

Last, but not least in a blog that's concentrating on love, is Venus on Cancer 10: A Large Diamond In The First Stages Of The Cutting Process. This speaks of coming to terms with inner worth, of growing perfection, things growing in general, things just starting to get going, things in the early stages of emergence. A few days after the full Moon, Venus will move onto the Moon's south node at Cancer 13: A Hand, Which is Held Out Receptively, Is Remarkable For The Suggestion Of Character In Its Prominent Thumb. This speaks of being open and willing to extend yourself to others. It's the handshake, the welcoming hand, the open palm showing love and that you carry no weapons. This degree shows the need to extend your hand to others and to take the hand that extends itself to you. 

Emergence seems to be a keyword for what's going on during these coming weeks. Emergence with love and the knowing that a whole new world is opening up for you. 

Open Wide and Say Aarrgh - The Dentist At Work: April's Scorpio Full Moon

A little neglect may breed mischief... for want of a nail the shoe was lost; for want of a shoe the horse was lost; and for want of a horse the rider was lost. Benjamin Franklin 

It is very vulgar to talk like a dentist when one isn't a dentist. It produces a false impression. Oscar Wilde

The first thing I do in the morning is brush my teeth and sharpen my tongue. Oscar Levant

The electric chair was invented by a dentist. Trivia.net

It is after you have lost your teeth that you can afford to buy steaks. Pierre Auguste Renoir

This won't hurt at all. Modern Saying

April's Scorpio full Moon, falling on Wednesday April 28, is on Scorpio 9, the Sabian Symbol for which is A Dentist Is Hard At Work. The "Dentist's" work involves finding out what's wrong in a situation and fixing it up so that things can work smoothly and efficiently once again. He concentrates on fixing damage that has probably occurred over a long period of time. The "patients" that the "Dentist Works" on may be nervous and restless and looking forward to the whole thing being finished. Although he has a very important or valuable job to do, many in society don't fully appreciate his "Work." Our "chewing ability" is important as our teeth make it possible to break down nourishment to its smaller elements or to a more digestible consistency so that we can integrate these into our wellbeing. 

All the factors of our bodies, teeth, mind and spirit, go into making up our wellbeing and these things regularly need checks, balances and maintenance done on a regular basis to ensure smooth functioning. We need to make sure we supply our bodies and minds with good nourishment and hygiene, not just indulge in band-aid treatments and cover ups. "Dentists", doctors and other physicians are needed in society in order to fix up the problems that occur in our lives. Society needs to invent a way of repairing the somehow inevitable but probably largely unnecessary damage. People in the healing, caring or fixing professions may be just what's needed in order to diagnose what's going wrong, what's not functioning efficiently, or to sort out what's going on that leads to a feeling of 'disease' or unease in your life. These can be therapists and treatments of all kinds, it may be social comment to invoke a cure, attention to detail, repairing damage, plugging up situations, etc. It can show someone being the responsible one who always has to fix everything. 

Just as the sound of the dentist's drill can set our teeth on edge, some feel it is their duty to continually point out where they think things need to be "fixed" and this can be painful in itself to endure. These people sometimes need to know when to back off; we should be able to assess and fix up our own mistakes. You may find that you sometimes fall into that trap yourself; feeling like you're the one responsible for 'fixing everything and everyone'. 

The Cautions include: Getting further into a hole by using more and more social solutions, causing pollution and damage when one should be honoring and fixing things, the fear of pain, the fear of letting go, the fear of being healed and being powerful and whole, always being "on duty", nagging away at things. 

Questions include; what needs to be fixed in your life? where and how are bad nourishment/bad habits/bad thinking/negative reinforcements/ingesting rubbish working against you? Just like the rot that can take off in your teeth, 'bad memes' can take hold in your brain and these can act like customary tunnels of difficult energy that are continually fed by damaging thoughts or habits.

Connecting with friends and family can be a way of fixing some of the damage that may have been done recently or in the far-distant past. The Sun and Mercury are on the same degree at Taurus 9: A Christmas Tree Is Decorated And Shines In The Darkness. This speaks of a rebirth of the spirit and can show a rebirth of feeling for one's loved ones, faith and the hope of happiness and goodwill of people to one another, celebrations bringing people that once were parted back together, decorations, things done with loving intent, the promise of good things, gifts, stars and angels. If there are gifts that you want to give, are you worried about how they will be received?

It's interesting to note that although we're in April (with the full Moon's effects lasting for at least the next month), the Sabian Symbol of Venus (the ruler of the Sun and Mercury) is Gemini 4: Holly And Mistletoe Bring Christmas Spirit To A Home. The themes mentioned above regarding the Christmas Tree that's Decorated and Shines in the Darkness also apply here. This can speak of rejoining with loved ones and those who have a special place in our hearts. It is a wonderfully warm and inviting image. The ancient Druids of Britain regarded "Mistletoe" as sacred and believed it had both magical powers and medicinal properties. They referred to it as the "heal all," although now we know the berries can be poisonous. Kissing beneath the mistletoe is a tradition that has developed over the years as we have built barriers to more spontaneous expressions of affection. It is almost as though the mistletoe and the spirit of Christmas have become an excuse for us to be able to show our feelings; we have developed these types of rituals to compensate for what has truly been lost. Mistletoe was so sacred to the Druids that if two enemies met beneath a tree on which it was growing, they would lay down their weapons, exchange greetings and observe a 24 hour truce.

Venus changes degrees exactly at the time of the full Moon to Gemini 5: A Radical Magazine Or Publication, Asking For Action, Displays A Sensational Front Page. This speaks of speaking one's mind, messages and news that awakes or shocks, the need for reform, challenging outlooks, issues of propaganda, headlines that promise more than they deliver, revolutions, social or emotional causes, printing presses, publishing, publicity, gaining attention, speaking one's truth without fear of consequences.

Mars is on Leo 12: An Evening Lawn Party Of Adults. This can show people mixing in a social setting, formal events vs. impromptu gatherings, gossip, leisure time, political correctness, With Mars here, it's likely that many will find that some parties or gatherings are too superficial for the desires of the heart. Perhaps there's only so many people one can meet that are not really connected to you. Of course, Mars on this degree could go either way - people could have a wonderful time socializing with like minded people or find it difficult to keep up the small talk with people you don't have an inner tie to. 

Jupiter is on the Sabian Symbol that talks about people having to get along together. The Sabian Symbol is Pisces 24: The Tiny Island Seems Lost In The Broad Ocean, But Its Happy Inhabitants Have Created A World All Their Own (otherwise known as An Inhabited Island). With Jupiter here, the message seems to be learning to get along, cohabitation and coexistence, apartments, living together, people moving in, having to compromise one's space and peace. 

Saturn and Uranus continue their dance opposite each other -are you going to strike out for the new or stick with the status quo? Are you wanting to usher in a new reality in your life or are you willing to put in the work in order to improve things and make the most of what you already have in your life? Saturn is on Virgo 29: A Man Is Gaining Secret Knowledge From An Ancient Scroll He Is Reading. This speaks of learning from ancient mysteries, looking for answers, study and its rewards, reading between the lines, finding clues from the past and applying them to the present. It's about manuscripts, scrolls, ancient writings, Akashic Records, classified documents, secret papers, scribes, alchemy, the Bible, the Torah and the Koran. It can show a sense of being privileged to look into something special. 

Meanwhile, Uranus is on Pisces 29: Light Breaking Into Many Colors As It Passes Through A Prism. This speaks of analysis, often spectrum analysis, color and crystal healing, facets of a situation revealing endless opportunities, optics, sight, seeing, copying and sharing ideas or things, disseminating information, auras and aura photography, triangles, polarization of light, reflection, laboratory tests, diffracted personalities. Above all, this degree can speak of analyzing things, often to the point of going into the finest detail. Analyzing things can be fine but if one loses the inherent joy while staring down the barrel of something with too much intent, one can miss the moment of what's really going on. 

Following the theme of healing in the Dentist at Work, we have the Moon's north node on Capricorn 15: In A Hospital, The Children's Ward Is Filled With Toys. This speaks of the need to look after one's health, whether it's your physical, mental, emotional or spiritual health. It shows the need to bring simple gifts (the 'Toys'), to the sick or disadvantaged, it can bring the need for nurturing people of younger years or those who've had less growth, waiting for and needing individual attention, drugs, crutches, cots, doctors, nurses, toys, magazines, waiting rooms, gadgets (especially healing ones), puzzles and games. 

The Moon's south node also shows the possible need for taking time out for healing or recuperating. The Symbol is Cancer 15: A Group of People Who Have Overeaten And Enjoyed It. This degree brings up issues of consumerism, communal cohesion through indulging in the senses, satisfied hunger, commercialism and the longing to own things, food and nourishment (and sometimes way too much of it), enjoying the good life, having plenty, abundance, temporary fulfillment. 

It seems that quiet times of healing, connecting and reconnecting with loved ones, employing restraint and celebrating community are the important themes now. Enjoy the ride and soak up the healing you can both get and give.

For a bit of fun, check out Steve Martin as The Dentist in The Little Shop of Horrors. If the link doesn't work in your area, try searching www.youtube.com - it's hysterical.  

The Inner and Outer Meanings Of The Double Promise: April's Aries New Moon

The reverse side also has a reverse side. Japanese proverb 

We must not promise what we ought not, lest we be called on to perform what we cannot. Abraham Lincoln

Words are words, explanations are explanations, promises are promises but only performance is reality. Harold S. Geneen

What a difference there is between what we say and what we think. Jean Racine

A wise man hears one word and understands two. Yiddish Proverb

If you can't convince them, confuse them. Harry S. Truman

Right now I'm having amnesia and deja vu at the same time. I think I've forgotten this before. Steven Wright

I have an existential map. It has 'You Are Here' written all over it. Steven Wright

If you're in a war, instead of throwing a hand grenade at some guys, throw one of those little baby-type pumpkins. Maybe it'll make everyone think of how crazy war is, and while they're thinking, you can throw a real grenade. Jack Handy

April's new Moon, occurring on April 14, has a rather interesting and quixotic Symbol - Aries 25: A Double Promise Reveals Its Inner and Outer Meanings. This speaks of something that may look good on the outside but prove to be difficult when one gets to the heart of the matter, OR, it can show things said that don't reflect the true depth of feelings or emotions. Something could be far different from what's expected, for better or for worse. It's about possibilities and promises, the ins and outs of situations, the issue of turning up, keeping promises, issues of living up to one's word, the need to look at situations from all sides, internal vs. external realities, Catch-22 situations, contracts, looking for consensus. There can be rewards, but what do they bring with them? There may need to be an honest appraisal of what was actually said, thought or "Promised," and what is actually possible in the real world. There can be situations of integrity but also duplicity. Are you or someone close to you assuming more than was actually delivered? This Symbol often indicates a choice that arises between the heart and doing what you want to do and social obligation and knowing what's right. 

The Cautions include: fickleness, insincerity and two-facedness in relationships, expectations without clarification, reversals of decisions or promises, manipulating people in order to achieve outcomes, promising more than can be delivered, endeavors or projects that are not worth the effort, lies and misleading statements, having a hidden agenda, momentary pledges that are soon forgotten, contracts that bind too tight.

Obviously, it's probably a good idea to check the fine print on anything you're agreeing to. Perhaps that fabulous new thing in your life has too much glamor, too much promise and no substance, or an air of inauthenticity to really be taken seriously?

Mars, the ruler of this new Moon, is on Leo 7: The Wonder Of The Constellations Of Stars In The Night Sky. The message of Mars seems to be to take a moment out to look to the signs around you in order to know how to proceed. This Symbol brings to mind the amazing sense of beauty that can be felt when observing the heavens. Just as our ancestors saw pictures in the "Stars," a "Constellation" is an expression of how our imagination can see designs and symbols in things that we usually take for granted. There can be questions such as "What am I here for?", "What is life really about?" and "What difference do I (or can I) make to this world?". The bigger questions are often on our minds with this degree around and we can feel like a tiny fleck against the backdrop of the vault of the sky.  It can also show the study of astrology and astronomy.

With the inherent duality of this new Moon degree (the "Double Promise"), it's interesting to note that Venus has a degree that has an element of duality about it. The Symbol is Taurus 17: A Symbolical Battle Between "Swords" - The Disciples of Might, And "Torches" - The Disciples of Enlightenment. This speaks of the battle of "might vs. light", spiritual differences, arguments, the Crusades, bringing love and light to war zones, weapons, the might of the media, the inner battle of whether to use love or force in situations. This degree can have people worrying over the effects of their words, thoughts or actions. Rightly or wrongly, there's a need to be discerning and to work towards love and acceptance. One should choose to come from love, however this is not always possible; you may have to lay down the law in order to not let any abuses continue. 

 Mercury has a lovely message for many as they plan their lives. The Symbol is Taurus 12: A Young Couple Walks Down Main Street, Window Shopping. This speaks of people assessing their goals, taking time together, working as a couple, seeing what their future looks like. It can be the longing for "things", the allure of ownership, consumerism, trying to save money, worrying about the "cost" of things, weddings and engagements, credit cards, finances that are shared, shared dreams, young people or people young at heart, shopping, the honeymoon period.

It can also feel like so much is so close but so far away (it all looks so good in the "window", but loses it's gloss upon closer inspection), perhaps there's a feeling that what's wanted in the future is just that, in the future (which could prove to be illusory). There can be "tire kicking" where people are assessing a mate - somewhat like taking a car for a test drive. It can be a perfect fit or perhaps it's an illusion and things are parked and dreams come to a stop. Even though this degree is about a "Young Couple", it can imply single people bringing their individual desires to situations. People can have similar hopes and dreams for the future, but have different ideas of how it looks or how it will pan out.

The Moon's north node (a point of destiny) is suggesting the reminder to be in your body, to ensure you look after your physical needs (on any level), to get out and about with people and have fun. The degree is Capricorn 16: School Grounds Filled With Boys And Girls In Gymnasium Suits. This shows the search for identity in amongst your peers, developing muscular coordination, working out, sexual energy, attraction or satisfaction physical fitness, being one of many, gyms, level playing fields, getting along with the opposite sex, singing songs of unity.

Laying out plans for the future is also inherent in the Moon's south node (a karmic point): Cancer 16: A Man Studying A Mandala In Front Of Him, With The Help Of A Very Ancient Book. This is, as is the degree of Mars, one of the degrees of astrology, it also speaks of architecture, strategic planning, lessons to be learnt from history, numerology and tarot; systems of thought that are laid out, maps, the rules of warfare, inward attention, mandalas, Tibetan Buddhism. It can be solving puzzles that seem unsolvable without the wisdom of those who went before (including "the ancients"). The Cautions include trying to gain the better of others by outstrategizing them or not wanting to put in the work to solve issues. 

Jupiter is bringing a sense of wanting to get to the heart of matters, being sensitive, sheltering, caring and receptive. The Symbol is Pisces 21: A Little White Lamb, A Child And A Chinese Servant. This shows one being protected by higher, more aware energies, the privileges money and social status bring, differing perspectives, helpers, servants, care, being watched over, pets and animals, the supervision of youngsters (or younger beings), purity of vision, caring for the child within.

Saturn has dipped back into Virgo and is on the last degree - Virgo 30: Having An Urgent Task To Complete, A Man Doesn't Look To Any Distractions. This can show staying true to yourself and remaining on the path or on the job, meditation, maintaining on direction, deciding what is truly worthwhile or important in your life, finding one's true focus, getting things done because they have to be done and not allowing yourself to be distracted by things that just get in the way, impede or hinder.

Staying on the path (whatever that may prove to be) can be an interesting challenge as Uranus is asking (perhaps demanding) that things to analyzed, broken down, changed, challenged, varied, thrown out or radicalized. Saturn and Uranus are opposites in nature - this is a period of breaking down old structures that didn't work, rebuilding ones that do, finding satisfactory positions or answers to life's dilemmas. Along with the duality inherent in the Sun degree of The Double Promise and that implied in Venus' degree of The Battle Between Swords and Torches, this opposition of Saturn and Uranus can bring duality and confusion. Stick with the tried and true or march out into life into the unknown? Uranus here seems to have the upper hand - breaking free is always a good alternative as long as the structures that you can depend on (Saturn in Virgo) are not threatened.

Uranus' Symbol is Pisces 29: Light Breaking Into Many Colors As It Passes Through A Prism. This speaks of the many facets of a situation, endless opportunities, optics, seeing, auras and aura photography, diffracted personalities, analyzing things (often way too much). Finding balance and equilibrium can be difficult with Saturn asking us to focus on what's important and what's right in front of us and Uranus urging us to take everything apart and analyze it. 

Good luck in finding that balance. Check those promises and see if there's any substance to what's unfolding. It could be that the "Inner and Outer Meanings" reveal enormous gifts that far outweigh expectations.

Getting There From Here: The March Full Moon in Libra

The winds and waves are always on the side of the ablest navigators. Edward Gibbon 

I said here's the river I want to flow on, here's the direction I want to go, and put my boat in. I was ready for the river to take unexpected turns and present obstacles. Nancy Woodhull

The man who is swimming against the stream knows the strength of it. Woodrow Wilson

In this world there is always danger for those who are afraid of it. George Bernard Shaw

I am driven into a desperate strait and cannot steer a middle course. Philip Massinger

God promises a safe landing but not a calm passage. Bulgarian proverb

March's Libra full Moon, occurring on March 29 in the United States and March 30 in Australia, is an interesting one that brings the promise of things easing up, calming down, and, it also holds out the possibility of finding a pathway to where you want to go or be. 

The Sabian Symbol is Libra 10: A Canoe Is Approaching Safety Through Dangerous Waters. This speaks of the calm after the storm, navigating difficult straits and coming out okay, whitewater rafting, risky activities, rough waters vs. plain sailing, recovery, remission, light at the end of the tunnel, personal initiations, trials of test and defeat, being stoic, retaining dignity and graciousness, exercising care and restraint, avoiding over exaggerated enthusiasm, deliverance on many levels, salvation and staying on track.

The cautions include: Neglecting to take time to rest, taking foolhardy risks, believing that all will be okay, pre-empting situations without completing things in the present, thinking that "lightning never strikes in the same place twice", shooting more rapids, freezing up and not moving.

Here, the "Canoe Is Approaching Safety," however, it is not quite there yet, and it may be that the hard times are not completely through. Many may not be quite where they'd like to be just yet, but the difficulties are lessening as one "Is Approaching Safety Through Dangerous Waters". The coming calm is an opportunity to review what has passed, and prepare for whatever is yet to come. Before long we can realize that we've come through difficult straits and the worst of it is over.

So, are you in the "Canoe" or are you body surfing the straits without a life jacket? Have you had the necessary navigational equipment or are you going by instincts? Do you feel things coming together or are you afraid you may still land on the rocks? As the Indian proverb says

Call on God, but row away from the rocks.

The Moon's north node holds an interesting back-up to this image. The Sabian Symbol is Capricorn 18: The Union Jack Flies From A New British Warship. Talk about sailing through difficult straits! This Symbol is about the need to defend our ideals, lifestyle or culture from outside influences. It is important to show one's power, but also to continually renew strength. This can be a show put on for others, but also an affirmation of safety for yourself and those who are in your circle of influence or protection. If there is a threat from outside your boundaries, or from within, there needs to be a swift response to snuff it out. If anarchy erupts within the ranks, political ploys may be used, such as the concept of "divide and rule" - the political rule that government is more easily maintained if factions (or people) are set against each other and not allowed to unite against the ruler. Disrespect or distrust of "authority" can lead to problems with people branded traitors. Having confidence in your ability to hold, maintain and protect your own "turf" will ensure others do as well. The trick with this degree can be to protect your borders but not to fire your guns at others as you yourself could be taken out by "friendly fire".

The Sun degree shows how we can make this journey through the straits easier. Basically, it's asking that we rewrite the book. The Sabian Symbol for the Sun is Aries 10: A Teacher Gives New Symbolic Forms To Traditional Images. This shows a need to analyze and perhaps rewrite what has been observed and learned in the traditional roles we've been living out. Things may need a new interpretation to bring them up to speed with today's thinking. You may have truly original ideas, but there's a possibility of holding these back, feeling it has all been done before. The message is to allow yourself to be creative and look for modern answers, seeing things in a different light or from a different angle. This may lead to realizations you have never considered or imagined. It can bring new understandings about people and the way things work. There could be a re-visioning of how one sees something like marriage, or work, relationships, education, systems of thought, etc. 

The keywords include; new dimensions breaking old thought forms or behavior, quantum science, innovation and re-creation, working with educational tools, finding new inspiration, being ahead of one's time, new-age consciousness, ideas out of the past for the future, sticking one's neck out. 

The Karmic condition (the degree before) the Sun is Aries 9: A Seer Gazes Intently Into A Crystal Ball Before Him. This speaks of flashes of inspiration, tuning in and looking within for answers, creative visualizations, aura readings, cutting through irrelevant messages, looking carefully at the structure of things, seeking perfection, clairvoyance, illumination and deep insights, looking ahead to see the signs.

One may well need to look deeper and to reassess what is and what isn't possible as Venus is on Aries 28: A Large Disappointed Audience. This shows the need for adjustments of expectations bringing realizations about what is really possible, walking out during a performance, not listening to something through a lack of interest, anticipating a different result from what is delivered, relying on feedback, lines and queues of people, criticism, the need to inspire and enthuse. This degree is interesting in that it can show you being disappointed in someone, or, disappointed with yourself. Of course, others could be disappointed in you, or you could be imaging things and being your own worst critic. Looking into that "Crystal Ball" may help sort things out. 

A good way to reconnect with what is possible and rewarding in your life is through music. This is because Venus quickly flips onto the next degree at the time of the full Moon. The Sabian Symbol is Aries 29: The Music Of The Spheres. This speaks of music, singing and musical ability, voices bringing messages, attuning to the messages inherent in astrology, numerology, sound healing, numbers, it's about circadian rhythms and the timing of things, the beauty of the planets, the measurement of time, the humming of bees, days of the week, sending love, harmonies, chords, keys, octaves, tones and things heard. 

Pluto is making some hard demands as it stands square to the Sun and square to the Moon, forming a t-cross that can bring stress, opposition, challenges, demands and the need to get straight about what's really going on. This aspect can bring stand-offs between people who need to get their relationship sorted out or separate and go their own ways. Pluto is on an interesting degree that speaks of not being sure where one's headed. The Sabian Symbol of Pluto is Capricorn 6: Ten Logs Lie Under An Archway Leading To Darker Woods. This brings journeys into the unknown, getting past the past, tenacity, stamina and energy preservation, things to consider before moving deeper, thresholds, archways, delving into the subconscious, memories that lead into deep or strange places, gateways, fallen trees... it seems that journey that we're on sure could use that "Canoe Approaching Safety". The trick with Pluto is to trust the process; to allow what's going on to unfold while removing obstacles (the "Ten Logs") and getting past the past.

Mars will have many wanting to show their independence, to shrug off social constraints (and their age) and there can be a desire to get rid of the evidence or remnants of the past. The Sabian Symbol is Leo 3: A Mature Woman, Keeping Up With The Times, Having Her Hair Bobbed. When the Sabian Symbols were given birth in the twenties, it was customary for women to cut their hair to show their independence. The thing to be aware of is that merely changing one's appearance doesn't necessarily alter (or fix) what's happening inside. However, feeling good about one's self on an external level can lead to greater self respect and confidence and a feeling of reeling back the years that one may feel have been lost.

There is a promise of redemption and renewal inherent in Jupiter's message on Pisces 17: An Easter Promenade. This can show renewed faith in one's life circumstances, rising up from doubt, fear and loss, rebirth, forgiveness and joy, spiritual unity, renewal and transformation. This is one of the "rising from the ashes" degrees - like the Phoenix, we can attach ourselves to others who feel the same way as ourselves and connect ourselves to the journey that is surely bringing us through "Dangerous Waters".

May your journey steer you away from the rocks and take you down the pathway that feels rewarding, safe and secure.

Celebrating Astrology - International Astrology Day

A child is born on that day and at that hour when the celestial rays are in mathematical harmony with his individual karma. Sri Yukteswar

The signs of the zodiac are karmic patterns; the planets are the looms; the will is the weaver. Anon

The starry vault of heaven is in truth the open book of cosmic projection... Carl Jung

Astrology is a language.  If you understand this language, the sky speaks to you. Dane Rudhyar

The stars which shone over Babylon and the stable in Bethlehem still shine as brightly over the Empire State Building and your front yard today. Linda Goodman

At the moment I am looking into astrology, which seems indispensable for a proper understanding of mythology.  There are strange and wondrous things in these lands of darkness.  Please, don't worry about my wanderings in these infinitudes.  I shall return laden with rich booty for our knowledge of the human psyche. Carl Jung

Men should take their knowledge from the Sun, the Moon and the Stars. Ralph Waldo Emerson

I don't believe in astrology; I'm a Sagittarius and we're skeptical. Arthur C. Clarke

This Sunday, the 21st March, is the spring equinox in the northern hemisphere and the autumn equinox in the southern. Every year, on this day, we celebrate International Astrology Day and this year we have a special treat in store; one you don't even have to leave home to enjoy. My wonderful friend and colleague, Donna Cunningham, has put together a fabulous collection of blogs, articles and special bits and pieces, over 70 in all, to help us navigate the very interesting and rather challenging alignments happening this year. Please do check out what's on offer and follow the links and you'll discover a minefield of wonderful information:

Worried about the Cardinal T-square of Pluto, Saturn, and Uranus? See a huge collection of useful articles on how to handle those transits by over 50 talented astrologers. Coming March 19-21, The International Astrology Day Blogathon will help you sort it out at: http://2010astrologycarnival.wordpress.com

Something else to really sink your teeth into is my great mate Johnny Mireheil's blog on this month's new Moon - this is a great, insightful article. Check it out at http://www.palmspringsguides.com/Johnny-Mirehiel/march-new-moon-over-the-southland.html

To mark this special day, I'm offering the CD of my book for A$30 - around US$27.60. Pay through this link: http://www.sabiansymbols.com/donate.asp (it's set for Australian dollars, so please input $30). This CD is the entire book 360 Degrees of Wisdom: Charting Your Destiny With The Sabian Oracle published by Penguin USA and in Japanese by Sony Japan and it comes with it's own random Oracle generator. If you are one of the folks who contributed $20 or more to my special fund when my website was down, please email me and I'll let you know how to go about getting the CD at a very special (insanely cheap) price. 

Further, consider purchasing the CD of the video of Lynda's lecture in San Diego. Running at just under two hours, you will learn a lot about the Sabian Symbols, their history and application and hear some of Lynda's wonderful stories. If you want to purchase this CD, please pay through the same link: http://www.sabiansymbols.com/donate.asp The cost of the video is A$40 which equals roughly US$36.85. You'll be paying in Australian dollars, so please input A$40. 

To celebrate International Astrology Day, you might like to have a reading with Lynda Hill. For details: http://www.sabiansymbols.com/page.asp?id=1404

Commitment To True Values: The Pisces New Moon

Write your wishes on the door and come in. Stand outside in the pools of the harvest moon. Carl Sandburg 

Sow a thought, reap an action; sow an action, reap a habit; sow a habit, reap a character; sow a character; reap a destiny. Anon

Sow much, reap much; sow little, reap little. Chinese Proverb

There is a star above us which unites souls of the first order, though worlds and ages separate them. Christina of Sweden

We must change in order to survive. Pearl Bailey

Talk unbelief, and you will have unbelief; but talk faith, and you will have faith. According to the seed sown will be the harvest. Ellen G. White

The Pisces new Moon, occurring on March 15 in the United States and March 16 in Australia, is a fully charged lunation that promises to bring insights, illumination, change and movement, commitment or separation, and is likely to give us the push to get going with the things we need to be doing.

As were the past new and full Moons, this one is dynamic and powerful, being in the last sign of the zodiac, we're getting set to give birth to ourselves in a brand new way.

The Sabian Symbol for the new Moon is Pisces 26: A New Moon Reveals That It's Time For People To Go Ahead With Their Different Projects. This Symbol signifies the necessity of seeing the need for a clear path ahead whilst letting go of people or circumstances that don't further you, support you or have your best interests at heart. There's an image here of the emergence of new possibilities and new horizons. It can imply a moving away from or a splitting up of people, however this may not always be the case. Obviously, our world would fall apart if everyone was to go their separate ways. There could be a call for people to make a commitment to each other, whilst agreeing that they have to have their own autonomy, their own goals, their own space. People may decide to split off from others in their family; to get away from abuse, neglect or controlling behavior. Some couples may decide to commit as they see this dawning of a new day means spending more time together with more commitment to the things they want to achieve. Hence, it doesn't have to mean a split or a separation, although it certainly can. People have their own responses to situations, so it is important not to expect everyone to react in the same way when something unexpected, or new, comes up. 

Periodically, there is a need to let go of things from the past. Relationships, jobs, friendships; in fact any situation at all might be coming to completion, or needing a break for a while. Dividing walls may come up between you and others and the situation may have been brewing for some time and now the consequences of it are coming to light. 

Over recent weeks, Uranus, Mercury and Venus and now the Sun and the Moon have passed over the degree before - Pisces 25: The Purging Of The Priesthood. Uranus has asked that we examine who are those we want to spend our time with and who we don't. It seems that it's more important now, perhaps more than ever, that we have people in our lives that we can rely on, trust, communicate with and enjoy on an equal basis. If you're in relationship with people who don't support you in your quest in life (particularly in your spiritual and creative life), you may find yourself pulling away from them or deciding that you don't want to see them again. Naturally, this needs to be done with love and respect, but possibly also firmness as Pisces can do with more firm boundaries and less sloppy thinking. 

Further, Saturn, the lord of karma, is asking that we spend our lives with those who share similar intellectual, spiritual or relationship interests. It's on Libra 2: The Light Of The Sixth Race Transmuted To The Seventh. This speaks of finding kindred spirits, sharing visions, ascension and evolution, gurus and avatars, demarcations of evolution, transmutations and the fruits of the new age. It can be leaving others (who don't measure up) behind. Saturn is retrograde until May 30 and it's asking that we analyze our values and where we're meant to be heading in terms of making our lives real and solid. 

This can be a time of illumination as Mercury and Uranus are now on Pisces 27: A Harvest Moon Illuminates The Sky. This speaks of situations that are very ripe and full of fruition, celebrating what you have, expanded perspectives making everything clear. It can bring a sense of harvest and achievement and it speaks of seizing the moment to make the most of what's available. Just what are you harvesting? Do you feel nourished, supported and loved? This degree asks that you take some time out to celebrate and reconnect with family and loved ones. Capture this magical moment as the energy of the Moon, even though we're on a new Moon, is coming through loud and clear in this "full Moon" Symbol. With all this light "Illuminating The Sky", take a good look around with open eyes and see what can be seen. 

Venus in Aries is asking that we get our acts together in order to have a sense of direction and confidence in our ability to be in charge of our lives. It's on Aries 11: The President Of The Republic Or The Ruler Of One's Country. This speaks of accepting responsibility for one's actions, calling the shots, taking charge, developing willpower, discipline and integrity, discipline of thoughts, emotions and actions. It speaks of taking a sense of leadership, power and ability along with the responsibilities this can entail. 

Mars has just gone direct after months of being retrograde. It's on Leo 1: A Man Is Under Emotional Stress And Blood Rushes To His Head. Although there's lots of forward momentum now, with a release of stored-up energy, there's also a need to think things through and to approach things with an attitude of moderation and care. This degree can show impulsive acts without consideration of outcomes and headaches can result. On the other hand, if too much caution is employed it can bring about frustration and tantrums. With Venus in Aries and Mars in Leo on this degree, there can be too much selfish energy or a desire to get one's way. This can alienate others or cause disruptions in relationships that are important or meaningful. The trick here is moderation and to allow others their freedom without judgment if they appear to be acting impulsively or without thought for your feelings or needs. As always, boundaries are an important part of the process; your boundaries and their's.

Mars and Saturn are moving into a holding pattern over the next several days. They are sextile to each other which will provide some discipline to the forward movement that Mars so wants to employ. 

Neptune is on Aquarius 28: A Tree Felled And Sawed To Ensure A Supply Of Wood For The Winter. This speaks of gathering resources, being prepared for harder times, stocking up and stockpiling, making money, the publishing of books, etc. Many will be looking to how they can, or do, earn a living and have enough for their needs while being true to themselves. Neptune on this degree can have people staying in situations out of fear of not having enough money, possessions or security. Obviously, we need to feel safe and secure, but compromising our values can lead to confusion and a lack of integrity over who you align yourself with. 

Chiron, the Wounded Healer and The Stories We Tell Ourselves, is on the degree following (where Neptune will be soon), Aquarius 29: A Butterfly Emerging From a Chrysalis. This speaks of the slow building of confidence, coming out into a fuller participation in the bigger picture, growing up and out, emerging from the dark, leaving yesterday behind, becoming more and more beautiful and aware, finding one's feet or wings, metamorphosis, huge changes in the works, giving up struggling, the drama of a new life unfolding. Are you struggling to give birth to yourself? Are you longing to let go of restriction and constriction? Do you feel yourself growing and maturing and emerging?

The Moon's north node brings us a message about carrying too much of a load, or attempting to do or take more responsibility than perhaps we're ready for. The degree is Capricorn 19: A Young Child Carrying A Huge Shopping Bag Filled With Groceries. This shows being the one everyone counts on to do the job, feeling weighed down, having to carry the "bag", lifting weights and bearing the consequences, taking on things above and beyond what one should OR adapting yourself to being able to take on more, to shoulder your own "stuff", to carry the load for yourself and others. The trick is not to take on too much as bad backs and necks can result. There can be the feeling that others aren't pulling their weight or are expecting way too much of you. Perhaps you're doing this with others, expecting them to carry the load.

 The Moon's south node brings us a further cautionary warning when it comes to relationships. The south node is a karmic point and it indicates where we need to do work on ourselves. The Sabian Symbol is Cancer 19: A Fragile Miss, Representative Of Proud Old Blood, Is Wed In A Marriage Ceremony By A Priest To An Eager Youth Of The New Order (otherwise known as The Priest Performing A Marriage Ceremony). This speaks of expressions of loyalty and allegiance, making sacred vows, commitment to a person or a project, integration of heart and mind, contracts signed and honored, hand clasping ceremonies, celebrants and the need for ritual and a binding sense of care for yourself and others. It seems that for many there will be a jettisoning of the old and an acceptance of the new. How are your relationship patterns going? How do you value and honor yourself in amongst your relationships with others? What do you have in common with others and what drives you apart?

Here's a song from Crowded House with their evocative lyrics. Are you coming home or leaving? What and where is your destination? Can you take your significant others with you or do you have to travel by yourself? 

Waiting To Hit The Gas Pedal: Mars Turning Around - Pass Go and Collect

Perhaps there is only one cardinal sin: impatience. Because of impatience we are driven out of Paradise; because of impatience we cannot return. Franz Kafka

The ruling passion, be it what it will, the ruling passion conquers reason still. Alexander Pope

How forcible are right words! But what doth your arguing reprove? The Bible

Anger is a short madness. Romanian proverb

It's been lovely but I have to scream now. Bumper sticker

Many will heave a collective sigh of relief as Mars goes stationary (seemingly stands still) and turns direct over the next week or so, having been retrograde since last Christmas. March 10 sees the red planet stopping in his tracks, gathering steam and energy to start his forward movement through Leo - a fire sign. Interestingly, Mars is stationing on Leo 1 and Leo 2, both degrees having fiery, mad, worked up and rather over-the-top Sabian Symbols. Leo 2 is An Epidemic of Mumps, which can have people feeling worked up, infected, feeling the need for immunity, rampaging gossip, rampaging thoughts (especially those that take over, possess and obsess), and a general feeling of needing to quarantine, separate or reject. It's a curious Symbol as one can feel the infection taking hold like a virus, spreading as it will. Sometimes people figure they've already got the 'contagion' and they may as well be 'in for a penny or in for a pound' - throwing themselves right into a situation that perhaps they should have shielded themselves from. Boundaries are big with this Symbol, as is the need to discover the truth of situations and act accordingly before things get out of hand. Mars has been on this degree for the last several days.

Mars is turning into prograde (forward) movement on Leo 1: A Man Is Under Emotional Stress and Blood Rushes To His Head. This is an incredibly
archetypal degree to have Mars linger on, let alone station on for several days. The emotional stress, blood rushing to the head, issues to do with the head, all very Mars archetypes. Mars is on this degree until March 21 when it moves onto An Epidemic of Mumps where it sits until March 28. So, we're in a holding pattern for the next three weeks with Mars on these degrees. Perhaps a good supply of Ibuprofen, a few shots of vodka, a few sad movies (or comedies), a box of tissues and friends who can share what's going on on the inside are in order. A big dose of patience is needed as well. 

You may have plans, projects and ideas that you want to set in motion, the time is coming to make these manifest, but perhaps you need to sit with them for a while, not racing forward into something half-baked and ill-thought out. This is your opportunity to get clear on what you want to achieve. Forward momentum is coming, but it's possibly a little too early to really get going. Meditation on what you want may not come easily, but thinking things through is the way to move ahead as you'll get a clearer sense of movement in the coming weeks. 

Adding to the mix is Venus in Aries on Aries 4: Two Lovers Are Strolling Through A Secluded Walk. This degree can speak of walking love's path, secret love affairs, wanting or needing to be undisturbed, being by one's self and wondering where the "other" is, romance, desired destinations, walking and strolling together, relationships that are solid and satisfying, issues of seclusion, inclusion or exclusion. This Symbol can show people in relationship, happy about it or not, alone and happy about it or alone and unhappy about it. Couple this (pardon the unintended pun) with Saturn smack opposite Venus on Libra 3: The Dawn of a New Day Reveals Everything Changed and you have all kinds of situations around relationships with shifts, movements, adjustments, endings and beginnings. What will happen in your life is dependent on your circumstances, but for sure there's adjustments being made, regardless of what's going on or how stable your relationships are. This degree often speaks of the need to take time for yourself. How's the lover inside you going? 

Jupiter in Pisces could be offering a solution of sorts. It could be time to drop the fight, to drop the need to prove yourself. It's on Pisces 13: A Sword, Used In Many Battles, Is Now In A Museum. This speaks of having willpower, putting aside thoughts of having to battle, trophies of conquest that remind us of the past, history, aging and maturing, retirement, souvenirs of the past, the Sword Excalibur, disarming weapons, the search for truth and justice, suits of armor, peace at last. It can point to sexual impotence, a realization around sexuality and what you have to offer. 

Mercury is on the rising from the ashes degree. Like the Phoenix, it could be time to renew your belief in yourself. This can come about from Mercury being on Pisces 17: An Easter Promenade, which speaks about renewed faith in life and life's circumstances, rising up from doubt, fear and loss, dressing up, the fertility rites of spring, rebirth, forgiveness, joy, spiritual unity, religious holidays, worship, renewal, parades, transformation. Transformation is the major key word here. 

For many, the trip is about not knowing where you're heading. Pluto is on a rather mysterious degree, Capricorn 6: Ten Logs Lie Under An Archway Leading To Darker Woods. This is about journeys into the unknown, getting past the past, tenacity, stamina and energy preservation, things to consider before moving deeper, thresholds, archways, entrances, dark forests, the unknown and the "unknowable", delving into the subconscious, memories that lead into deep or strange places, gateways and fallen trees. Basically, there's a need to get past the log jam that's in the way of where you want to be or where you want to go.

The trick here is to keep a sense of equilibrium, to have faith in yourself and your abilities and to focus on what is possible in life. There's messages to be heard as the Moon's north node is on Capricorn 20: A Hidden Choir Singing During a Religious Service. This speaks of background messages, voices not heard or noticed before, sensitivity to spirituality, the voices heard behind closed doors, voices from "nowhere", melodies from the past, channeled voices. 

Be aware that something is trying to tell you something, focus on what is possible and jettison the rest. 

Here's a song for you from Crowded House. Click here. If you want to subscribe to Lynda's newsletter, send an email to sabiansymbols@gmail.com

Two Heads Looking Out and Beyond The Shadows: the Virgo Full Moon

Hearing both sides brings enlightenment. Believing only one side brings obscurity. Vincent Wei Chang 

I don't understand you. You don't understand me. What else do we have in common? Ashleigh Brilliant

Do I contradict myself? Very well; I contradict myself. Walt Whitman

Doubts are more cruel than the worst of truths. Anonymous

The optimist proclaims that we live in the best of all possible worlds, and the pessimist fears this is true. James Branch Cabell

We don't see things as they are. We see them as we are. Anais Nin

Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see the shadows. Helen Keller

The Virgo full Moon, occurring on February 28 in the United States and March 1 in Australia, is a wonderful one as Jupiter is very closely aligned with the Sun and opposing the Moon. This configuration can bring all kinds of good luck, abundance, joy and celebration. Yet it presents us with an interesting challenge; how to integrate duality in its many forms, but particularly duality of observation. The Sabian Symbol is Virgo 10: Two Heads Looking Out And Beyond The Shadows.

This speaks of duality of observation or thought, being able to see all sides of a situation, fear being the opposite of faith, people peeking and peering, secret service and government agencies, gunfights of the old west, trench warfare, the media, the press, paparazzi, spies, private detectives, conspiracy theories, crossed eyes, eavesdropping, voyeurism.

Quite the thing to really skew the view, eh? The artist Magritte who painted the picture above seems to have had quite a perspective on the duality inherent in this degree. Looking out and beyond the shadows could have people relating to each other like this - another painting from Magritte. It all depends, of course, on what your perspective is. This degree often shows people not getting it together in their thoughts, plans, observations, beliefs, attitudes or expectations. As there are "two heads" pictured here, it can be hard to get a grip on what needs to be done in order to move forward, or it can be people checking out each other from afar, often surreptitiously or people observing exactly the same thing yet coming to very different conclusions. Seeing both sides of a situation can result in difficulty in making up one's mind. Losing the ability to make firm decisions and the loss of faith can open the door to fear. Regardless of potential confusion, it is beneficial in some respect to look at every possible aspect of the situation you are in. This may provide an understanding of just how another person may feel or react. Remembering that this is a Virgo full Moon, with the propensity of Virgo to analyze things to death, combined with the Sun in Pisces, the energy could lead to deliberating too long ending up in agonizing indecision that can be a great time waster or lead to missed opportunities. 

On the other hand, this degree can show the ability to read people or situations, working out where reality stops and 'the shadow' starts. This means that with careful observation, one can work out what's really going on, what's your's and what's their's, etc.

Speaking of what's theirs, the Moon quickly moves onto the next degree: Virgo 11 - A Boy Molded In His Mother's Aspirations For Him. This speaks of the challenge of living up to other's expectations, being an individual versus taking on the shape others would have you be. Some keywords include: being directed on the journey or shaped against one's will, DNA, inherited values, following in the family's footsteps (or not), parents as patterns.

Observation is definitely on the cards as the degree of the Sun carries a similar type of image. Further, Jupiter is smack on the Sun. The Sabian Symbol for the Sun and Jupiter is Pisces 10: An Aviator In The Clouds. The Sun and Jupiter opposing the Moon can bring strokes of good luck, being in the right place at the right time, expansion, abundance, joy and wonderful warm feelings. The trick is to believe in the goodness of life and the possibilities that lay before you. The following quote from Susanna Moodie sums it up quite nicely:

Ah, Hope! What would life be, stripped of thy encouraging smiles, that teach us to look behind the dark clouds of today, for the golden beams that are to gild the morrow. 

Keywords for this degree include: Elevated views, always seeing the best in people and things, peace and tranquility, the longing for transcendence, not seeing limitations, being in a refined "head space", mastery, flight, planes, pilots, avoidance of time constrains, Pollyanna attitudes, free flights of fantasy and escapism, the need for accurate navigation, being in charge of the controls, seeking higher truths, maps, compasses, global satellite positioning, clouds, mist and fog, hang gliding.

Helping along the emerging need for clarity is the degree of Mercury, the ruler of the full Moon in Virgo, on Aquarius 29: A Butterfly Emerging From a Chrysalis. This speaks of slow building of confidence, coming out into a fuller participation with the bigger picture, growing up and out, emerging from the dark, leaving yesterday behind, becoming more and more beautiful, finding one's feet or wings, metamorphosis, huge changes in the works, giving up struggling, the drama of a new life unfolding.

Spreading one's wings certainly compliments the Aviator image of the Sun and Jupiter, and getting clear about one's objectives, dreams, ambitions and reality is emphasized by Venus on Pisces 22: A Prophet Bringing Down the New Law From the Mountain. This shows the revelation and channeling of new information, truths being revealed, thoughts, ideas, guidelines, laying down the law, new resolutions, new pathways of living and being, the Ten Commandments, legislation, social justice messages, people of the book. 

Mars is bringing some interesting challenges as it is still retrograde - has been since Christmas, and will be stationary on Leo 1 for a few weeks. The Sabian Symbol for Leo 1 is A Man Is Under Emotional Stress and Blood Rushes To His Head. This will be a testing time for many as patience is likely to be a bit thin on the ground. There are, as always, good sides to this Symbol, especially if you're paying attention to where you're putting your energy. It can imply ambition and getting fired-up about something, but also charging off in all directions at once, events coming to a head, too much excitement, too many plans, too much pressure... but then there's the shove that's often needed to get yourself out of your own way. I imagine that many will be relieved and pleased when Mars gets going again on March 10 (slowly but surely) and starts to bring relief from the frustration and feeling stuck that so many are feeling. Many thoughts, emotions, events and problems could have gotten out of hand over the last week or so with Mars having been on Leo 2: An Epidemic of Mumps. This can have situations getting out of control, gossip, rampaging issues that need calming down, the desire to have time out or the need for "immunization"... all in all a very strong station of Mars on two Symbols that can have one's head exploding (which is not always a good look). 

Messages of hope, trust, faith and redemption come through the north node on Capricorn 20: A Hidden Choir Singing During A Religious Service. Listening to the background messages, possibly of voices not heard or noticed before. This can speak of voices from "nowhere", melodies from the past, the voices of the women and the men coming through the halls, bringing joy and inspiration. What messages do you hear? Do they hold substance or are you finding difficulty in really listening, hearing, receiving...

The trick is to employ Jupiter with all the promises of abundance, expansion, freedom, joy, hope and rewards that come from Jupiter aligning with the Sun and opposing the Moon. By staying with the feeling that all will be well, this full Moon can be a wonderful opportunity to sort out what needs to be sorted out.

Measuring Emotional Responses: February's Valentine New Moon

Humanity is moving in a circle. The progress in mechanical things of the past hundred years has proceeded at the cost of losing many other things which perhaps were much more important for it. George Gurdjieff 

The expectations of life depend upon diligence; the mechanic that would perfect his work must first sharpen his tools. Confucius

One's suffering disappears when one lets oneself go, when one yields - even to sadness. Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

Any emotion, if it is sincere, is involuntary. Mark Twain

How much has to be explored and discarded before reaching the naked flesh of feeling. Claude Debussy

We boil at different degrees. Ralph Waldo Emerson

With 5 planets in Aquarius (counting Lilith), February's new Moon is a doozy - it's one of idealism, color, love, vibrations, things in the air, our wounds, the stories that run through our minds, the need for clarity and with a touch of the propensity for confusion. Occurring on Sunday February 14, this new Moon in the minds of many will be colored by the fact it lands smack on Valentine's Day. Most years, depending where we are in the leap year cycle, the Sabian Symbol for the Sun on Valentine's Day is Aquarius 27: An Ancient Pottery Bowl Filled With Fresh Violets. This is totally in rhythm with the inherent and underlying meaning of Valentine's Day; the need for beauty, simplicity, sensitivity, care, love and sharing (more on this later).

This year, on Valentine's Day, the Sun is on the degree before; Aquarius 26: A Garage Man Testing a Car's Battery With a Hydrometer. This speaks of situations that have "boiled over", bringing all to a stop, breakdowns and the need for repair, checking water levels, anticipating future problems, the need for good batteries, cars being serviced, checkups and tuneups, bringing forward movement to a halt. 

It can show the need for testing our earthly vehicle for its road-worthiness... how are you traveling in the health department? How are your emotions? Do you get to say what you feel? Do you gauge what's going on or do you let others take the lead while you adjust your levels constantly? Performing the necessary checks and balances to ensure the smooth running of our lives is part of the everyday maintenance of society, our appliances and ourselves. The "Garage Man" could be "Testing the Battery" because there is a problem he needs to analyze or he could be performing routine preventative maintenance. Certainly it is better to keep an eye on things before they go wrong. However, we can find ourselves being too vigilant, keeping a watchful eye on outcomes rather than cruising along and trusting our own emotional levels. 

This is quite a special Valentine's Day (acknowledging that it's actually a commerciall construct) as this year Chiron and Neptune are smack on the new Moon. The Sabian Symbol for Chiron and Neptune is Aquarius 27: An Ancient Pottery Bowl Filled With Fresh Violets. Such a Valentine's image of love, simplicity, sharing and caring and containment. So, how are you going around this story? Remember that Chiron is "the Wounded Healer" and the stories we tell ourselves and Neptune can be the dream or the nightmare... are you looking after yourself, your emotions, your sensibilities, or are you doing the 'what ifs' and the 'how to's' and the 'if onlys'. 

So, here we have the Sun, the Moon, Chiron and Neptune all within one degree of each other. This speaks of gentleness and caring, sense and sensibility, responses and responsibility and the necessity of being true not only to others, but to yourself. How is your emotional measure? How 'topped-up' emotionally are you and those with whom you share your journey?

Lilith - the Dark Moon and the woman who would not be subjugated by Adam (who would not 'just lie down and take it' - on any level) - is on Aquarius 15 right up to this new Moon. The Symbol is quite telling: Two Lovebirds Sitting on a Fence and Singing Happily. This speaks of faith in love or waiting for signs of commitment, friendship and companionship, issues of fences, borders and barriers, showing love for all to see, mating for life versus failing to commit, sitting on the fence, complaining about relationships, waiting to see what the other will do, being stuck in a situation when one would rather fly off and be free, having a fixed position, not wanting to comply with the other, neighborhood disputes, noises from next door... On Valentine's Day, Lilith flips onto Aquarius 16: A Big Businessman at His Desk. This can speak of needing to take care of business, get things done, be organized, make money, be 'managerial', all the way to situations where things are 'business as usual' (which can drive one bats). 

Mercury, the ruler of communication, thoughts, thinking and getting one's mind clear is a rather interesting Symbol - it's on Aquarius 6: A Masked Figure Performs Ritualistic Acts in a Mystery Play. This speaks of rituals, shamanism, archetypes of personality, putting on a show, portrayals of performances that don't always add up, the unmasking of someone, comedy, banditry, mystery, drama, acting, smoke screens, doing the technical but not the emotional, saying or doing things because one "should", having alternate personalities. With this Sabian Symbol, Mercury is likely to be one confused bunny. The "Mystery Plays" can be hard to pierce, often being a front for a bigger agenda - the trick is to see past the performances and into the hearts of those in the "Play". 

Venus is at Pisces 4: Heavy Traffic on a Narrow Isthmus Linking Two Seaside Resorts. This can have people running back and forth, going with the flow or experiencing 'road rage', plans for arrivals and departures, traffic backing up, detours, packing and unpacking, luggage, travel itineraries, impasses, nervous systems, constant phone calls, switchboard jams, heat and smog. It can show situations where people are in one place and want to be in another, bringing an interesting interaction all the way to annoying indigestion as one finds it hard to settle or to know exactly where someone or something is going to be. After all, where is the real party when there's so much to-ing and fro-ing?

Mars is on Leo 5: Rock Formations Towering Over a Deep Canyon. This speaks of old structures and deep hazards and the choice of taking chances or standing still. Mars can have us walking very close to the edge, painting ourselves into a corner, having to leap into the void or doing a 'Geronimo'. Do you stand with your back to the wall with the whole gamut of experience reaching far out in front of you while you wonder what the risks are of leaving safety?

Uranus, the planetary ruler of this new Moon and the ruler of Mercury, Lilith, Chiron and Neptune, is on Pisces 25: The Purging of the Priesthood. This brings up issues of revealing the truth of people for who and what they truly are, cutting people off, throwing out things that don't measure up, forced retirements and redundancies, payouts at the end of employment, dismissals, opting out for moral reasons, being fired (or being fired up about people not living up to expectations), holes left where someone took up a lot of space, etc. Needless to say, some will fall from grace over the next month or so. However, some will take their rightful place in the scheme of things as others either vacate their positions or seats, or, there's a change in the guard. The Purging of the Priesthood asks you what, or who, do you want in life... are you operating under old strictures, with the same old reasoning, with the same people that have perhaps let you down again and again?

The trick now is to regain faith and Jupiter, the planet of abundance, faith, hope and many good things is on Pisces 7: Illuminated By a Shaft of Light, a Large Cross Lies on Rocks Surrounded By Sea and Mist. This speaks of the need for renewed dedication after loss, looking for signs of hope and recovery, coming to terms with loss or failure, important and substantial sacrifices, being devastated by events, finding your way through the dark, etc. Jupiter here can bring back that hope - but on this degree after periods of loss it can strip away trust and the belief in the goodness of life.

The image of the cherubs with the heart and butterfly wings fits perfectly with the Sabian Symbol of Aquarius 29: A Butterfly Emerging From a Chrysalis. This degree will be a focus of energy in the coming days, weeks and months as first the Moon, then the Sun, then Chiron and Neptune will all be going over this degree. It seems certain that we're emerging from our shells, from those things that have bound us, to a more perfect representation of what and where we're meant to be.

Combining the beauty and simplicity of the new Moon on An Ancient Pottery Bowl Filled With Violets with the need to rebuild hope through the Shaft of Light degree of Jupiter, we can see how beauty, simplicity, joy, love and acceptance are the right tools for measuring our emotional responses and finding those things that are near and dear to our hearts.

Feeling Safe, Secure and Loved and Moments of Inspiration: January's Leo Full Moon

One generation plants the trees; another gets the shade. Chinese Proverb

Woodman, spare that tree! Touch not a single bough! In youth it sheltered me, and I'll protect it now. George Pope Morris

Cut not the bough that thou standest upon. Charles Dickens

One that would have the fruit must climb the tree. Thomas Fuller

The forest laments in order that Mr. Gladstone may perspire. Sir Randolph Churchill

The full Moon occurring on Saturday January 30 is a wonderful degree of play, hope, protection, joy, security, childhood memories and the need to remember to put in the time to share and play and feel free with others. The Sabian Symbol is Leo 11: Children on a Swing in the Safety of a Huge Oak Tree. Oak trees infer enormous strength; the oak's strength, the hardness and durability of the timber, and its long life give the oak a special significance. In England, the oak has been referred to as the "monarch of the forest". Cowthorpe Oak in Yorkshire can hold 70 people in its hollow. It is said to be over 1,600 years old. The Ellerslie Oak, near Paisley, is reported to have sheltered Sir William Wallace and 300 of his men. Honour Oak in Tavistock was the place where money was left in exchange for food during the cholera epidemic of 1832.

Keywords for this Symbol include: Creativity in safe surroundings, being secure and privileged, social security and other forms of governmental protection, humanitarian agencies, agencies that bring food, education and basic needs to children in difficult circumstances, children, trees, grass, swings, parks, amusement parks, childhood memories, climbing trees, spontaneous activity, security coming through family and environs, safe confines. 

The Oak, then, shows us the need to feel protected while we play or go about our lives with our friends, family, neighbors, etc. The Oak promises protection, structure, shade and sanctuary from the elements or those things that may be less secure or even harmful.

The Cautions include: Expecting others to take all the responsibility while one just plays, children not being looked after, disadvantaged people, desertion by government and big business, not wanting to grow up, always relying on others to provide fun, safety or shelter.

The Karmic Condition of the Moon is Leo 10 which also happens to be the degree of Mars = Mars is smack in the middle of this lunation. The Sabian Symbol for Leo 10 is Early Morning Dew Salutes the Sunlight. This presages an emergence from the dark; coming out of the night, possibly from experiences such as 'the dark night of the soul'. This can speak of the dawning of a new day and the new experiences of light, joy and hope that it can bring. However, some may still have the lingering effects of that long night. Play, being lighthearted and opening the heart can disperse feelings of separation or loneliness. As Mars is so closely involved in this lunation, there can be lots of emotion, loads of feelings and reactions and a sense of being 'up', agitated or eager to get going or to have your own way. Mars conjuncting the Moon and opposing the Sun can be very magnetic, passionate and arousing in many ways. Watch for knee-jerk reactions or people not fully understanding each other. First impressions may not give the complete picture as projections can be around with this aspect. 

Adding to the concept of play is the issue of sensuality and sexuality with Mercury on Capricorn 16: School Grounds Filled With Boys and Girls in Gymnasium Suits. This brings up issues to do with bodies, fitness, learning to get along, the blending of the sexes and feeling free about your physical self. 

Venus is on Aquarius 15: Two Lovebirds Sitting on a Fence. Commitments may be made during this coming month, ones that resolve issues that have been hanging in the air. On the other hand, the 'lovebirds' may just continue to sit on the fences that divide them. Perhaps they're waiting for a sign to either commit or separate. Certainly, issues to do with letting go of some people, jobs or memories is at the forefront with Uranus on Pisces 25: The Purging of the Priesthood. This speaks of deciding who is and who isn't going to be in your life = many are going to be making decisions based on who they believe live up to what's now important or will contribute to life in a productive, fun or healthy way. 

As always, I look to the Sun on a full Moon as it sheds a lot of light on situations at the full Moon (the light of the Moon is the reflection of the Sun). The Sabian Symbol is a wonderful one: Aquarius 11 - During a Silent Hour, a Man Receives a New Inspiration Which May Change His Life. 

The Keywords are: Welling creative power, inspiration = breathing in the spirit, coming to terms with one's reality, visionary people and events, being reborn, spiritual awakenings, meditation and reflective thought, intuitive awareness rising up into conscious awareness, spending time alone, thinking, contemplation, reversals, flashes of insight.

Whatever you're doing at this full Moon, whether it's having fun, swinging underneath that oak tree, being carefree or looking for direction, this full Moon is bound to change the lives of many. Seek that moment of inspiration and breath in the creative spirit that is indeed inspiration!

Photo of 'the love birds' taken at Katoomba by moi.

Dancing Lightly vs. Being Escapist: January's Solar Eclipse in Capricorn!

The Universe is full of magical things patiently waiting for our wits to grow sharper. Eden Phillpotts 

Let your life lightly dance on the edge of Time like dew on the tip of a leaf. Rabindranath Tagore

One must still have chaos in oneself to give birth to a dancing star. Friedrich Nietzsche

Light be the earth upon you, lightly rest. Euripides

Dance like no one is watching,
Love like you'll never be hurt,
Sing like no one is listening,
Live like it's heaven on earth. 
Anonymous

SYLPH,n. An immaterial but visible being that inhabited the air when the air was an element and before it was fatally polluted with factory smoke, sewer gas and similar products of civilization. Ambrose Bierce

January's new Moon, falling on January 15, is a wonderful symbol of effervescence and fun, skipping lightly through life, there's a feeling of mischief about it, with joy mixed with escapism and the thrill of being alive. The Sabian Symbol is Capricorn 26: A Nature Spirit Dancing in the Mist of a Waterfall. Being a solar eclipse magnifies its intensity and gives it a longer life span into the future. Some say that the influence of a solar eclipse lasts about nine months. I would say that it can be much longer than that, depending on what's going on in your life at the time and what unfolds. 

Keywords: Dancing in a carefree manner, water and fun, Peter Pan characters, mountains, mists, fog, reveling in nature, picking up subtle energies, being healed because of the atmosphere (altitude), celebrations of the natural worlds, waterfalls, water spraying or dripping, finding one's habitat, chinese water torture, water nymphs, fairies and nature spirits, elementals, devas and angels. 

The Caution: Irresponsibility, avoidance of real situations, not taking anything seriously, flitting off, being held down and repressed when one is longing for light relief, feeling abused by pressure, being subjugated by cold, icy elements, thoughts or emotions, tricks or perceptions of lights, fear of dark places.

This is an especially light, fun loving and enjoyable time as Venus, the planet of beauty, love, resources and refinement, is exactly conjunct (together with) this new Moon, and is on this Nature Spirit in the Waterfall degree.

The 'Nature Spirits' dance in the 'Mist' because they know to avoid the areas of heavy pressure in the 'Waterfall'. Even though the strength and power of emotional flow is in the middle of the 'Waterfall', it is not possible to survive under such a torrent for very long. It is not always good to assault one's self with the full brunt of pressure from life. If we are going to dive in, we need to be like the image in this wonderful painting by my friend Carolyn Tyrer of her lovely daughter, Jessica.

Saturn, the ruler of Capricorn, is going retrograde just two days before this new Moon. The Sabian Symbol is one of finding new understandings, new realizations, new beliefs perhaps, new ways of being, but one has to be paying attention. The Sabian Symbol is Libra 5: A Man Teaching The True Inner Knowledge of The New World to His Students. This speaks of guidance and protection on the path, being a guiding light for others, wisdom, looking for truth, seeking answers to complicated questions, listening and learning, turning to others to receive guidance, instinctual knowledge, pioneers on the path, teachers and students, secrets of the new age. Saturn is sitting on this degree for weeks and weeks, which is a good thing; we can live and learn - sometimes the lessons are a bit harsh and often we may feel like we're being hit over the head to get the message, but the message is definitely there and worth getting.

It seems that this new Moon is like a gift with it's lightness of being as Mercury is sitting stationary (but turning direct right around the new Moon) on Capricorn 6, almost exactly square Saturn. This square can bring about heavy thoughts, negative thinking and feeling defeatist or going over things too much or too darkly in one's mind. The Sabian Symbol indicates the need to let go of knowing where you're going or what your destination is. It's Capricorn 6: Ten Logs Lie Under An Archway Leading To Darker Woods. This speaks of journeys into the unknown, getting past the past, tenacity, stamina and energy preservation, things to consider before moving deeper, thresholds, archways, entrances, dark forests, the unknown and the unknowable, delving into the subconscious, memories that lead into deep or strange places, gateways, fallen trees. It can be things blocked or obstructed, especially pathways, looking for directions that are obscure or concealed. 

Just as Mercury seems to imply letting go of things from the past before plunging ahead into the unknown, the North Node shows that we have to sometimes just acknowledge that certain things aren't working in our lives, whether it's relationships, our job, thoughts, attitudes, emotions, ways of life. The Sabian Symbol is Capricorn 22: A General Revealing Nobility of Character By Accepting Defeat Gracefully. Time to pull the plug on things that are leading you in the wrong direction. There's no use waging a battle that leads to nothing, nowhere or to no good. 

This letting go motif is amplified by Chiron, the Wounded Healer and the stories we tell ourselves, on Aquarius 24: A Man Turning His Back on His Passions Teaches Deep Wisdom From His Experience. Neptune, Chiron and Jupiter have all inhabited this degree for some time, showing the need to take with you what works in your life but to turn away from those things that don't. It may sound like obvious advice, but sometimes we need a shove in order to actually do it. Chiron may be just the shove we need. 

Jupiter also shows us the need to let go. It's on Aquarius 30: Moonlit Fields, Once Babylon, Are Blooming White. This speaks of the past and taking what's valuable into the future. It can show big changes in how we see our 'civilization', are we operating in ways that benefit our futures, or destroying what was once valuable? 

Mars offers us some sense of joy and hope in amongst all that may be going on in our lives. It's on Leo 16: Brilliant Sunshine Just After a Storm. It seems we're meant to dance in that mist of the waterfall; to find joy, to celebrate and to endeavor to stay away from the harsher aspects of life that batter and hurt. 

Remember to dance, celebrate and enjoy life at this new Moon!

The New Year Lunar Eclipse: Being Real Vs. Clowning Around

We take greater pains to persuade others that we are happy than in endeavoring to think so ourselves. Confucius

Clown and guru are a single identity: the satiric and sublime side of the same higher vision of life. Theodore Rozak

Art must discover and reveal the beauty which prejudice and caricature have overlaid. Alain Locke

There are no greater wretches in the world than many of those whom people in general take to be happy. Seneca

He's a fool that cannot conceal his wisdom. Benjamin Franklin

Happy new year to everyone and warm wishes for a fantastic year of joy and all kinds of rewarding things in 2010! The new year starts off with a partial lunar eclipse on new year's day. The Sabian Symbol is Cancer 11: A Clown is Caricaturing Well-Known Personalities.  As we go into 2010, it seems that issues to do with entertainment, putting on a happy face, being optimistic and cheerful, keeping your deeper or darker thoughts to yourself versus being real, authentic and transparent about your emotional reality. 

Keywords of this Symbol are: Exaggerated responses, wanting to entertain, show business, trying to be something or someone that one's not, putting on a face, comic performances, parodies of personalities, making fun of someone, clowns and clowning, life imitating art, always performing, irony, satire, objective observance, criticism, laughter, caricatures, cartoons, lampooning, voice impressions.

The Cautions include: being foolish in the face of positive potential, trying to cover up reality through buffoonery, being constantly "on stage", living vicariously, inauthentic behavior, not having the courage to display one's true self, putting on a face to manipulate or fool others, irritating behavior that wears thing after a while, being the laughing stock, overblown impressions, loss of true identity.

Apologies! I started writing this on new year's eve and was interrupted by a circus troop arriving at my house for a party. No one knew about the clown degree being the Symbol for the eclipse on new year's, it was all serendipity. We had Ian Mortimer (Mort) on mandolin, Jorge from Chile on guitar, both Mort and Jorge singing, acrobats, fire spinning and various other wonderful things going on around a fire on the front lawn of my house. It was brilliant. The party went on for 42 hours, so this blog is brief!!

Please do remember that the "clown" motif will be in full swing for the entire month, although as it's a lunar eclipse, the effects are likely to be felt way into the future. We are being asked to put on a brave face, smile, sometimes when we don't want to. On the other hand, though, we always need to remember to be authentic. A fine balance, especially as we head off into 2010.

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYBODY. I will write more later!

Cheers from Avalon, Sydney, Australia - Lynda

P.S. My website: www.sabiansymbols.com is back up and fully functioning! Please check it out and enjoy the Oracle.

A Message From Lynda Hill About the Sabian Symbols Site

Greetings from Avalon Beach, Sydney, Australia!

There may be some good news; I believe we've located the site and I'm hoping that it is all intact. I have worked on this day and night for the last two weeks. I have finally made contact with the company that hosted the Oracle. So, progress is being made. 

I want to thank so many of you so much for leaving a note on www.sabiansymbols.com - it's so wonderful to hear your thoughts and stories. People offering help of web services, sending thanks and love, taking the time to give something back. Thank you to the many who donated to keep things going. These funds have been a lifesaver and have allowed me to do things I wouldn't have been able to do. To those of you who sent me personal wishes and stories, I wish I could write back to you all but several hundred emails is a lot to reply to personally!

A Chubby Little Rich Boy Rides Upon a Hobbyhorse: The Sagittarius New Moon

Do not handicap your children by making their lives easy.
Lazarus Long

In this era of affluence and of permissiveness, we have, in all but cultural areas, bred a nation of overprivileged youngsters, saturated with vitamins, television and plastic toys. Judith Crist

It is amazing how quickly the kids learn to drive a car, yet are unable to understand the lawnmower, snow blower, or vacuum cleaner. Ben Bergor

Well, you know when you're rocking in a rocking chair, and you go so far that you almost fall over backwards, but at the last instant you catch yourself? That's how I feel all the time. Stephen Wright

Nothing is so hard as for those who abound in riches to conceive how others can be in want. Jonathan Swift

No use flogging a dead horse. Saying

Although I'm late sending out this newsletter for the new Moon in Sagittarius, please know that the influence of the new Moon on the coming month is still very strong and is yet to completely unfold. We can say that the influence lasts for a month, right up until the next new Moon, on January 15. It is also true to say that events that are sparked off this month get a life of their own; they can last for months and years into the future. It depends on what seeds are being planted or what harvest you're reaping now.

The Sabian Symbol for this new Moon, occurring on December 16, is Sagittarius 25: A Chubby Little Rich Boy Rides Upon a Hobbyhorse. Can you see what this might mean in the attached graphic? The boy rides his horse, knowing that other gifts are coming, not a care in the world, off and running in his own fantasy world, whipping his horse onward and upward, ready to take on the world, safe and secure, well fed and his every need catered for.

"Funny", you're saying, "that doesn't sound like me"... Perhaps you're not so sure of your safety and security, or your place in the scheme of things, or that you're going to be looked after by others, or that you can pursue your own 'hobbyhorse'; your dreams, your aspirations, your visions of how life could, or will, be. 

Look again at the boy in the graphic. He has everything, which we all do really. Unless we're living under a piece of cardboard under a bridge somewhere, we have many of the things we need. We only have to check our situation to realise how lucky we are. We have so much to explore in our leisure in amongst our hectic and very meaningful lives. Remembering how lucky we are is so valuable. Still, the boy could be somewhat frustrated in his efforts to get things going. How long will he be happy with that movement, as satisfying as it is, rocking backwards and forwards, possibly staring into space, without charging forward and getting in amongst the action. It seems he's dreaming of the action rather than participating, except in his own fantasy world. For sure he's growing and learning - one day he will take on all of life's challenges and will participate in the excitement of being alive with all it's wonderful progress and precarious pitfalls. 

To me, this Symbol is a mix of pleasure and frustration. It feels certain that we're meant to perfect something, to enjoy the practice and play and prepare ourselves for the unfolding that is coming. 

The Karmic Condition (the degree before) this new Moon is a lovely one - Sagittarius 24: A Bluebird, a Sign of Good Luck and Happiness, is Standing at The Door of The House. This speaks of the promise (or promises) of "Happiness", reminders of joy, real estate, house boundaries, cottages and picket fences, waiting for invtitations to enter, omens of good luck, blessings, front doors and back doors. This is the conventional picket fence with the happy people living inside with promises of luck and happiness. It can be domestic bliss, the beauty or the joy to be found in others but it can be arguments and not noticing the good things in life.

The Bluebird at the Gate of the Cottage degree is a great Karmic Condition for the Chubby Boy on His Hobbyhorse. Hopefully, his home is safe, secure and loving. Of course not all homes are. This is a matter of one's own personal perspective. 

When I look at the graphic above of the boy on his hobbyhorse, I can't help but think that he's incredibly keen to get going, eager as mustard to take on the world, to put himself out there, to race headfirst into whatever he can. Of course, that horse ain't moving; it's not going anywhere. Mar's current stationary retrograde motion can feel like that. "Here I am, I'm ready for it, I'm going for it, but it's not moving". Add to that the fact that the Mars degree is Leo 20: American Indians Perform a Ritual to the Sun - I imagine them riding their horses and get quite a different image. 

The Quest degree (the degree following) the new Moon is Sagittarius 26: A Fl ag Bearer in a Battle. This smacks of having the courage of one's convictions, being up front, exposing yourself, facing the possibility of being shot down, carrying the standard or the flag, David and Goliath, being the messenger, advocates, self sacrifice, fighting for political ideas.

There's shades of Copenhagen in all this; the 'Hobbyhorse' of the lobbyists and the vested interests. To some, Copenhagen will have felt like flogging the proverbial 'dead horse'. The Flag Bearer may have lost his horse, he is most likely on foot now, older and wiser, and, possibly a bit war weary.

A theme going on at the moment seems to be the theme of people moving house, changing jobs or leaving relationships. This is somewhat reflected through the position of Venus on Sagittarius 19: Pelicans Disturbed By The Garbage of Men Move Their Young To a New Habitat. This degree was one of the prime degrees while those in charge were nutting out their strategies (or lack of) in Copenhagen. The garbage of men alright. And vested interests, the vested interests of so many 'Chubby Boys in Their Hobbyhorses'.

With all this archetypal societal bliss we're either having, meant to have or are missing, there's a sextile (a useful free flowing positive energy) from Jupiter (the ruler of Sagittarius - the new Moon) at Aquarius 24: A Man Turning His Back On His Passions Teaches Deep Wisdom From His Experience. It seems that many are finding they are turning away from what they don't want and turning towards what they do. Many lessons are to be learnt here, wise ones about finding meaning in life. 

Uranus is squaring this new Moon from Pisces 23: A Materializing Medium Giving a Seance. This is a very spiritually 'attuned' degree, one of spiritual channeling, a need to free "stuck" or earthbound entities, giving voice to spirit, tarot readings, clairvoyance and clairsentience. It speaks of things seen ahead of their time, bringing messages from the other side, etc. 

I guess the questions for this next month include; where do you want to be? what do you want to be doing? who's interests are you serving? and, are you having fun?

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My website is still down but hopefully that will be fixed in the next week or so. Please know that your support, comments, emails, donations and offerings of help are so appreciated. I try, but I can't answer every email I get but please do know that I read them! Please drop by www.sabiansymbols.com and leave a message on the feedback form and consider leaving a donation!

Happy Holidays! May Loads of good things come to you and yours!!

Resurrecting The Sabian Symbols Site! Send in the cavalry!

Every separate thought takes shape and becomes visible in color and form. Liu Hua-Yang  

The universe is one of God's thoughts. Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller

A Man paints with his brains and not with his hands. Michelangelo

Art is not a mirror to reflect the world, but a hammer with which to shape it. Vladimir Mayakovsky

If you do not find yourself beautiful yet, act as does the creator of a statue that is to be made beautiful: he cuts away here, he smooths there, he makes this line lighter, this other purer, until a lovely face has grown upon his world. Plotinus

Right now, and for the next twelve hours or so, the Sun is on Sagittarius 27: The Sculptor's Vision is Slowly But Surely Taking Form. The quotes above illustrate this degree. It is the degree of the Galactic Center, which is said to be 'the Mind of God'. We are our creations; we create ourselves and our world with our hearts, minds and bodies... I will have more to say about this as the degree of the Galactic Center is changing from Sagittarius 27 to Sagittarius 28: A Splendidly Built Bridge, A Heritage of Unknown Ages, Still Spans the Beautiful and Wildly Primitive Stream = we're going from the 'sculptor's degree' to the 'bridge degree'. This is fantastic and quite a movement. The GC has been on Sagittarius for some 72 years, so this is a shift that many are feeling now. More on this in another blog. 

Meanwhile, this is not my standard blog, apologies for not doing one this new Moon, I hope to do it on the weekend. This is, instead, a request for assistance.

Celebrating Our Differences Or Being Stuck in Our Egos: Mars Retrograde in Leo!

Life is pure flame, and we live by an invisible sun within us. Thomas Browne 

What is to give light must endure burning. Viktor Frankl

Hide not your talents, they for use were made. What's a sundial in the shade? Benjamin Franklin

Be glad of life because it gives you a chance to love and to work and to play and to look up at stars. Henry Van Dyke

The beauty of the world and the orderly arrangement of everything celestial makes us confess that there is an excellent and eternal nature, which ought to be worshipped and admired by all mankind. Marcus Tullius Cicero

We may have all come on different ships, but we're in the same boat now. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Are we having fun yet? Modern Saying

Are we there yet? Modern Saying 

Mars, that planet of ambition, assertion, competition, drive, sexuality, raw ego and courage, is about to go retrograde (appearing to go backwards through the zodiac). Happening only every two years and two months, we are generally used to the energy of Mars marching forward, taking on challenges and reacting as Mars tends to do; self-directed, with forward drive, taking on opponents and being generally antsy. In Leo, Mars is going retrograde 5 days before Christmas; on December 20 and will stay retrograde until March 10 2010. There's great information on Rob Tillett's site: Astrology On The Web (interestingly, some few years ago, we both used the same graphic to illustrate Mars retrograde). 

Mars retrograde in Leo is well represented in the graphics I've used in this blog; the warrior has not quite laid down his sword, but he's feeling in need of a rest, to take things a bit more slowly, to give more time and energy to recuperation, finding his center, finding his feet again - to feel potent and not impotent, useful and not worn out, attractive and not unattractive (in any sense of the word). Perhaps he needs a shower and some psychotherapy? :)

Mars is hanging out in Leo for a very long time - from mid October 2009 to the second week of June 2010. That's a lot of action going on in Leo and if you have planets in Leo, you'll be feeling it rather strongly. Also, if you have planets in Taurus, Scorpio or Aquarius, you are likely to be pushed or tested or spurred on in some way. 

Speaking of being spurred on, we all may feel under a lot of pressure with this Mars retrograde but feel that we can't really achieve much in the way of actual results. It's probably necessary to go over old ground, to sort through what's happened in the last few years, to check out where you've succeeded or pushed through opposition and where you've folded or given in. Now, it seems, we are given a second chance to sort through our objectives, aims and reasons for being. Mars is very much directed by Venus and Venus is trine (a good, free flowing aspect) Mars at the time of Mars going retrograde on Sagittarius 24: The Bluebird of Happiness at the Gate of the Cottage. This is a good thing as Venus is saying we should invite happiness (and luck) into our lives, but we may still find ourselves a bit unmoored and not sure where our next step is going to take us. This is largely because Mars, right up until the actual retrograde, is on Leo 19: A Houseboat Party Crowded With Revelers; The Water Reflects Its Lights. This is a great degree for partying, getting out with friends, being mobile, social pleasures and joining with others in an adventurous spirit. However, the downside of The Houseboat Party can be a feeling of being unmoored, cast adrift, not able to disembark, not having a solid and secure dock to land on. One can keep partying for sure, or not taking life seriously, but sooner or later one will probably hit a brick wall and find the need for getting "solid" about life; in control, in charge and in demand in areas of life that are truly meaningful instead of rather transitory.

Mars in Leo has been bringing some very interesting things to light. Many have reported extreme difficulties with relationships and partnerships. This has largely come about through Jupiter, for months, being on the degree opposite where Mars is going retrograde. Jupiter was on Aquarius 18: A Man Being Unmasked at a Masquerade in March 2009 and again in September, October and November. For many, there have been realizations about infidelity, issues of control and manipulation and other actions that have led many to mistrusting others. There seems to have been a huge spike in things such as Narcissistic Personality Disorders and other psychological issues as Jupiter dredged these things up for people to see (The Man Unmasked at a Masquerade). Again, for many, this has led to people looking at their own behavior in relationships; sorting through what has allowed this kind of thing to show up in their lives. Co-dependent relationships seem to have been more and more in evidence, especially with Uranus on Virgo 24: Mary and Her White Lamb for some months through 2009 (this Symbol speaks about co-dependence, but with Uranus there, issues have been erupting to the surface about it). We are being asked the questions: are we being truly authentic? are those around us being that way? what are our objectives in relationships? are we controlling, pushy, assertive or indifferent, lazy and expecting others to do everything?

Mars, on December 11, moves onto the degree that it goes retrograde on on December 20. The Sabian Symbol is Leo 20: American Indians Perform a Ritual to the Sun. This is a wonderful degree for restoring spirit, rituals and worship, the desire to return to nature, shining through one's life (not necessarily through social credentials), sweat lodges, drum beating, celebrating a unique social heritage, participation with nature's cycles, eclipses, smudging, fire, passion, spontaneity, vision quests, fasting, courage, conquering bad habits and attitudes, the truth of conviction, prayer, baptisms of fire. It can also point to the hypocrisy of religions that exclude a sense of personal direction and responsibility, especially at Christmas.

Mars sits on this degree until the end of December, when, on New Year's Eve, it moves back onto the Houseboat Party. This is great for New Year's celebrations, but it suggests that for us in this new year, we have to find a place to be, to settle, to be most effective, to feel moored, safe, loved, held, respected. Are you dealing with places, jobs and people who are merely transitory or don't have your best interests in their hearts? Do you have your own best interests in your heart?

Mars in Leo wants us to be self directed, focused, enthusiastic and forward thinking. It wants us to have healthy egos, not squashed, not inflated, not retarding, not self negating. Working on seeing our patterns is a great way to celebrate the end of 2009 and move forward in a healthier, freer and more authentic manner!

Newly Opened Lands Offer the Pioneer New Opportunities for Experience: The Gemini Full Moon

Take a chance! All life is a chance. The man who goes farthest is generally the one who is willing to do and dare. Dale Carnegie 

In wisdom gathered over time I have found that every experience is a form of exploration. Ansel Adams

Explorers have to be ready to die lost. Russell Hoban

Explore thyself. Herein are demanded the eye and the nerve. Henry David Thoreau

In my writing I am acting as a mapmaker, an explorer of psychic areas... a cosmonaut of inner space, and I see no point in exploring areas that have already been thoroughly surveyed. William S. Burroughs

Occurring on Wednesday 2nd December, the Gemini full Moon has the Sabian Symbol of Gemini 11: Newly Opened Lands Offer the Pioneer New Opportunities for Experience. This speaks of getting off the beaten track and trying something new, being prepared to strike out for new territory, finding new and better ways of living, the need to start a new, more vibrant life, heading for the Promised Lands, new time zones, foreign customs and languages and generally leaving one's comfort zone. 

The Cautions for this degree are: Clinging to the old and familiar when it is outworn and boring, restricting growth and change, not moving on, invading other's space, claiming what's rightfully someone else's, hanging on when it's time to let go, running off to avoid involvement or responsibilities.

An X-Ray Diagnosis: November's Scorpio New Moon

Life is uncharted territory. It reveals its story one moment at a time. Leo Buscaglia

Creativity is piercing the mundane to find the marvelous. Bill Moyers

To him that watches, everything is revealed. Italian Proverb

A smart mother makes often a better diagnosis than a poor doctor. August Bier

DIAGNOSIS, n. A physician's forecast of the disease by the patient's pulse and purse. Ambrose Bierce

God is the Sun and when His rays fall upon your heart, not impeded by the clouds of egoism, the lotus blooms and the petals unfold. Sai Baba

November's new Moon in Scorpio occurs on November 16 in the United States and November 17 in Australia. This is an incredibly perceptive new Moon, not just because it is in Scorpio (which is enough in itself) but because so many of the Symbols speak of getting below the surface of what's going on. This new Moon is very much about digging; emotionally, mentally, spiritually. The Sabian Symbol for this new Moon is Scorpio 25: An X-Ray Photograph Helps With the Diagnosis.  This speaks of penetrating insight, piercing through external appearances, pure understanding, incredible insight and revelations, having the eyes to see, spying, detective work, reaching conclusions, evaluations, photographs, negatives, radiation, x-ray vision, expensive and up-to-date equipment, chemotherapy, mammograms, scanning equipment, finding causes, Paparazzi. 

Tending Your Garden: October's Full Moon in Taurus

Cultivate more joy by arranging your life so that more joy will be likely. George Witkin

Flowers always make people better, happier and more helpful; they are sunshine, food and medicine to the soul. Luther Burbank

Cultivate peace first in the garden of your heart by removing the weeds of lust, hatred, greed, selfishness, and jealousy. Sivananda

By cultivating the beautiful we scatter the seeds of heavenly flowers, as by doing good we cultivate those that belong to humanity. Vernon Howard

November's Taurus full Moon falls on November 2 in the United States and November 3 in Australia. How wonderful with Taurus ruling gardens and gardening, that the Sabian Symbol for this full Moon is Taurus 11: A Woman Sprinkling Long Rows of Flowers.   

This Symbol often speaks of the need to take time to nurture the physical self. Along with smaller, less able things that need care, your body needs water, sustenance and nourishment too. Drinking plenty of water and nourishing yourself with good food is part of this. Hence there may be the need to pay attention to what your body is telling you. Sometimes the mind needs to take a rest, and the body needs to be allowed to come to bloom and bask a little in the sunlight. Now is the time to enjoy the fruits of one's work. Also, looking after younger and smaller things so they may grow to maturity and fullness brings its own type of reward. This might require patience and a determination to work at something. Keeping an eye on things that you are responsible for will ensure that they don't dry out and fade away ahead of, or before, their time. Weeding out undesirable factors is often a necessary part of this process. Taking time out to actually water plants or the garden may bring some wonderful realizations to your life. As fairies and nature spirits are said to live in gardens, meditating whilst "Sprinkling" the garden, or pot plants, may bring nourishing insights to questions that arise at this full Moon.

The Pilgrim's Progress: October's Libra New Moon

To see the world in a grain of sand, 
And a heaven in a wild flower;
Hold infinity in the palm of your hand,
And eternity in an hour.
William Blake

A traveler without observation is a bird without wings. 
Moslih Eddin Saadi

To see a hillside white with dogwood bloom is to know a particular ecstasy of beauty, but to walk the gray winter woods and find the buds which will resurrect that beauty in another May is to partake of continuity.
Hal Borland

Nature will bear the closest inspection. She invites us to lay our eye level with her smallest leaf, and take an insect view of its plain.
Henry David Thoreau   

Occurring on October 18, the Libra new Moon promises some interesting insights and realizations. The Sabian Symbol is Libra 25: The Sight of an Autumn Leaf Brings to a Pilgrim the Sudden Revelation of the Mystery of Life and Death. This Symbol can indicate an insight into something that can change the course of one's life. The "Autumn Leaf" in this Symbol brings to the "Pilgrim" the "Sudden" understanding of the cycle of life, death and rebirth. The "Mystery of Life" seems to unfold before the "Pilgrim's" inner vision. He can see that the seed has grown into a tree and the tree's leaves have now fallen with the change of the seasons, ready for the new birth in the spring. The "Autumn Leaf" becomes the composted material that nourishes the new seeds and fosters and nourishes new growth. Often we go through our lives without noticing the information that can be gained from looking at small or seemingly insignificant things. The "Revelation" that is experienced can change one's life, if time is taken to stop long enough to really look into it. At this point, you may feel that you've learned much but have grown tired of seeking information for life's meaning through more conventional channels. Look for answers to your problems in simple, everyday moments. They are fleeting, but they are around you. Look for the signs, they can have profound effects. 

Emerging From the Mine to Flying in Formation: October's Aries Full Moon

I met a hundred men going to Delhi and every one is my brother. Indian Saying

There is a destiny that makes us brothers,
No one goes his way alone;
All that we send into the lives of others,
Comes back into our own.
Edwin Markham

In isolation I ruthlessly plow the deep silences, seeking my opportunities like a miner seeking veins of treasures. In what shallow glimmering space shall I find what glimmering glory? Jamaica Kincaid

Underground issues from one relationship or context invariably fuel our fires in another. Harriet Lerner

Don't refuse to go on an occasional wild goose chase. That's what wild geese are made for. Henry S. Haskins

October's full Moon promises to be a very interesting one. Falling on Sunday October 4, this Moon has very interesting mixed messages for our consideration (consider is an interesting word literally "to observe the stars".) The full Moon degree is Aries 12: A Flock of Wild Geese: